
Class 
Book 



_'_: 



Copyrightlf 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



A 
TRIP TO ALASKA 

AND THE 

KLONDIKE 

In the Summer of 1905 



BY 

N. E. KEELER 



CINCINNATI 

THE EBBERT k RICHARDSON CO. 
1906 



One Copy RfOeived 

11 JW6 
Ct Wte. no. 

CCPV b ^ 




Copyright, 1906 
By N. 13. Keeler 



*3» 



* 



To My Grand Nephew 

MASTER ARTHUR VAUGHAN, Jr. 

Chicago 



PREFACE. 

This little volume was not intended in the begin- 
ning. A wish expressed by some friends to hear 
an account of my pleasures and experiences in 
Alaska and the Klondike suggested a typewritten 
letter, which could be passed around. 

But the subject grew, and my interest increased, 
as I retraced my steps, and the story got, uninten- 
tionally, beyond the limits of the intended letter. 

This will, doubtless, please my enemies and de- 
light the critic, who is fond of applying the wet 
blanket. 

I hope my reader may some day enjoy the same 
trip, and have for ship friends and companions as 
interesting, congenial and entertaining characters 
as it was my privilege to encounter. 

The Author. 



A TRIP TO ALASKA AND 
THE KLONDIKE 



CHAPTER I. 

The Land of the Aurora and the Midnight Sun ! 
Thither my thoughts had turned for many months, 
in which interesting hours by the fireside had been 
spent with authors whose accounts of the Arctic re- 
gions exercised for me a peculiar fascination. 

One must make an effort of the imagination to 
appreciate the size of the District of Alaska. It 
occupies a territory of over five hundred and ninety 
thousand square miles. It is fourteen times the 
size of Ohio, and covers an area more than one- 
fifth the size of the United States. 

In March, 1867, Secretary Seward, during 
Abraham Lincoln's administration, completed nego- 
tiations with Russia for the purchase of this little- 
known territory, for seven million and two hundred 
thousand dollars. In October of the same year, the 
formal transfer was made at Sitka, to General 
Rosseau, representative of the United States. 

In the purchase of Alaska, Secretary Seward 
has been given credit for great foresight, but candor 
favors the belief that he knew nothing more about 
the future value of this great territory than did 



8 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

Thomas Jefferson regarding the future value of the 
Louisiana Purchase. 

The population of Alaska in 1900 was sixty- 
three thousand, five hundred ninety-two, about 
one-half of which number being white and mostly 
Americans, while the other half consisted of Indians, 
Eskimos and Aleuts. 

I felt the realization of a dream approaching as 
I sped along in the comfortable Pullman car of the 
Northern Pacific, with Cincinnati and Chicago far 
in the rear, and St. Paul fast disappearing from 
view. 

Ahead of us loomed up the grand heights of the 
Rockies, with their wonderful scenery. Crossing 
these and gradually dropping down the opposite 
slope, our first stop was at Spokane, in Washington. 

Spokane is a pretty and prosperous city, with 
a population of seventy-five thousand. The streets 
are wide and clean, and the business houses are of 
the most modern brick construction. The city boasts 
a famous restaurant known as "Davenport's," where 
one can get a good, satisfying meal at any price 
ranging from fifteen cents to fifteen dollars. 

A new "Athletic Club House," one of the "Finest 
in the World" style, is also one of the attractions 
of the city. The agricultural and mining interests 
surrounding, with splendid railroad facilities, are 
a guarantee of the city's present success and future 
prosperity. 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 9 

After leaving Spokane, we soon arrived at 
Seattle, the city of our embarkation. 

Seattle is the Chicago of the Pacific Coast. It 

has a fine harbor, and is the terminus of the Great 

Northern railroad system, which connects with 

the Orient by its own line of large and magnificent 

ocean steamers. 

It has very large lumber interests, and as a 
distributing point for Alaska, is in the lead of all 
other coast cities. With a population of one hun- 
dred and fifty thousand, Seattle has today more life 
and stir than any city west of Chicago. The cli- 
mate is bracing and tonic in its effect, and those 
engaged in a money-making business will tell you 
it is the "Greatest city on earth." 



CHAPTER II. 

On Friday, June thirtieth, at ten a. m., we were 
off for Alaska on the ocean steamer "Dolphin," by 
way of the inland route. 

In judging people and places much depends 
upon environment, the accidents of health, and 
conditions of the weather. An impudent waiter 
or an uncongenial neighbor may produce a condition 
of mind prejudicial to thorough enjoyment. Such 
little annoyances, however, must be ignored for 
the full appreciation of the experience of a trip. 

Seventy passengers were aboard, comprising a 
mixed crowd, and nearly all with business interests 
to attract them North. 

A limited number were combining pleasure with 
business, and one only had the excuse of pleasure for 
his trip. 

The personnel of the passengers was quite differ- 
ent from that of a party of sightseers on one of the 
excursion boats. The many miners, full of the 
lingo of their craft, were interesting in the extreme 
and good authority on all Alaskan subjects. To 
them I became indebted for much information about, 
and many characteristic words of the country to 
which I was going. For instance, I learned that 
"cheechaca" is Klondike for tenderfoot, and "sour 
dough" for a seasoned miner. 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 11 

At the first meal each one selected his own place 
at table. I chose to sit among the miners. Before 
the second, however, each passenger was furnished 
a ticket which designated the number of his state- 
room, and his permanent seat at the dining table. 
The steward had apparently arranged the seating 
in accordance with the apparel of the passengers, 
and his idea of the fitness of things. By this 
method I found myself located where my table-cloth 
neighbors were principally ladies. 

Wishing to carry out what the steward seemed 
to expect of me, and to be polite to the lady on whose 
left I was sitting, I remarked, "The majority of the 
passengers seem to be bound for the North in pur- 
suit of gold." 

"O, yes," she replied. It's a very convenient 
thing to have, and we all want what we can get of 
it," a conventional reply, which killed further con- 
versational effort on my part and caused me to 
regret that my "boiled shirt" had been the means 
of depriving me of my seat among those whose blue 
flannels were less conventional, but whose conversa- 
tion far more worth while. 

At nine o'clock in the evening we landed at 
Vancouver, and took on seventy head of cattle, billed 
for Dawson. It was so dark that I saw nothing of 
the town. We were now in Canadian territory, and 
the custom regulations forbade anyone landing 
from one of Uncle Sam's vessels without inspection. 



12 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

The "Dolphin" served nine o'clock evening lunch 
in addition to the three regular meals, and besides 
these, plates of beautifully-assorted fruits would be 
sent to all staterooms at about eight o'clock every 
evening. So we were in no danger of retiring 
hungry. 

During the two following days our boat steadily 
pursued her way northward through the passages 
of the "Inland Route." Great forest-covered shores 
rose on either side of us and we began to realize 
that this passage would give us no experience of the 
open sea. 

The scenery constantly increased in beauty as 
we proceeded, and, before we realized that the hour 
was nine, broad daylight being still about us, we 
landed at Ketchikan, our first stop in Alaska. 

Here we saw our first Indian village and fish 
cannery, which were the principal objects of interest. 
Adjoining almost every Alaskan town is the Indian 
settlement, or quarters, and some of us proceeded 
to the investigation of this one. 

The houses were frame, well built and comfort- 
able, but most of the inhabitants were standing idly 
about, seemingly without aim in life. 

While wandering about outside of the village, 
we came across a skunk cabbage. The odor from a 
broken fiber of this curious plant reminds us of its 
namesake, while in a defensive, and, I may say, an 
offensive mood. 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 13 

Here we also saw the beautiful salmon berries, 
growing on high bushes and twice the size of a 
thimble or raspberry, but of a deep red or yellow 
color. 

They are gathered by the Indians and offered 
for sale, and with the addition of cream and sugar 
make a delicious dish. 

Other wild berries are found in abundance, the 
strawberries, raspberries, etc., ripening much later, 
however, than those at home. 

On leaving Ketchikan, we again steamed 
steadily on for two days, during which I spent every 
possible moment on deck, almost begrudging the 
time taken for meals. The grandeur and majesty 
of the mountain scenery unfolding before us in ever- 
increasing beauty, mile after mile, as we proceeded, 
with the lengthening light of the evening hours, 
made one feel as if the time spent in sleep were 
wasted. All on board put off the time for retire- 
ment till tired eyes asserted their rights in spite of 
the absence of darkness, and drove us from the deck. 

On Monday, July the third, I awoke and found 
the steamer made fast at Fort Wrangel, where we 
had arrived some time during the night. These 
landings were very pleasant when the boat, in re- 
ceiving and unloading freight, stopped long enough 
to give the passengers time to go ashore and explore. 

The "sights" at Fort Wrangle consisted of a 
large hotel — closed ; a brewery — not operating, 



14 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

a totem pole at one end of the main street and the 
postoffice at the other. 

Here we saw for the first time a peculiar struc- 
ture, common to many Alaskan coast towns. The 
mountains are so near the coast that at high tide the 
water leaves only a narrow strip of land between 
the shore line and their foot. Thus, the town site 
is crowded over the beach. The walks and streets 
are made of boards laid on piles driven into the 
sand, and many buildings are put up on the same 
style of foundation. A town built thus has a rather 
peculiar appearance, as if the foot of the mountain 
were trying to push it off into the water. 

After leaving Fort Wrangle, the Dolphin con- 
tinued her way through Wrangle Narrows. As we 
proceeded, Indian villages were numerous along the 
shores. Each village, however, consisted merely 
of a few tents, and was only the temporary home of 
the Indians during the fishing season. 

Foggy weather is the tourist's nightmare when 
his object is viewing the great face of Nature. We 
had none of it to speak of, and consequently saw the 
wonderful scenery without the slightest mist to dim 
the view. 

Great snow-capped mountains lifted their heads 
into the pale blue sky ; numberless waterfalls of end- 
less shapes and sizes tumbled downward over their 
rocky sides, hurrying onward to the sea ; innumer- 
able inlets and deep rocky fjords opened up to view 



A Trip to Alaska anp the Klondike. 15 

at every turn, and, most wonderful of all, we caught 
a view here and there of some great glacier, sleeping 
in its distant mountain valley, or bathing its feet 
in the ocean. 

Burton Holmes says, "The Yosemite Valley is 
beautiful; the Yellowstone Park is wonderful; the 
Canyon of the Colorado is colossal; Alaska is all 
of them." 

This wonderful day seemed in no mind to leave 
us, and when at last we touched at Douglas City, 
on Douglas Island, where the famous Treadwell 
Gold Mine is situated, the daylight was still around 
us, and on looking at my watch, it surprised me by 
pointing to half after nine. 

Only a short stop was made here, and a two- 
mile steam across the bay brought us to Juneau, 
where I had decided to stop over for a day and see 
how the "Glorious Fourth" was celebrated in 
Alaska. 



CHAPTER III. 

After a good night's rest in a comfortable bed 
at the Occidental Hotel, I was awakened bright and 
early by the familiar noise of exploding gun powder, 
dear to all patriotic Americans. 

From then on, till late at night, the deafening 
report of the giant fire cracker was incessant. The 
ardor of the citizens was in no wise dampened by the 
drizzling rain, which continued to fall all day, and 
even the voice of the cracker was not softened by the 
ensuing dampness. 

During the morning a miner's drilling contest 
was held back of the court house, the object being 
to see which two men could drill the deepest hole 
in a granite rock within the space of fifteen minutes. 
It was a fine exhibition of muscle. One man would 
swing the hammer while the other held and guided 
the long steel drill. When he of the hammer found 
his strength declining, places were changed swiftly 
by the two men and the work proceeded without the 
loss of time. The contest was "on the square/' and 
the event of the day. 

The audience consisted of the miners of the town 
and vicinity, and their friends, with a sprinkling of 
gamblers. 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 17 

The people stood unprotected and seemingly un- 
conscious of the rain for two hours, awaiting the 
finish, while I found myself chilled to the bone, with 
the protection of my rain coat, rubbers and umbrella. 
The crowd was a jolly one, and words of cheer were 
shouted at the brawny participants, such as, "Hit it 
hard, Denny !" "Only five minutes left, John!" "Bes- 
sie is watching you, Larry !" and "Take the money 
home to her." 

Thirty-four and a half inches was the depth of 
the hole that took the first prize of one hundred and 
fifty dollars, although the championship record is 
forty inches. 

After dinner I took the ferry back to Douglas 
City, where we had touched the previous evening, 
in order to pay a visit to the famous Treadwell Gold 
Mine. This is a quartz mine, and bears a low grade 
ore, assaying about two dollars and forty cents a ton. 
Tradition says that it originally sold for a suit of 
clothes, was then bought for eight hundred dollars, 
and the present owners — a close stock company — 
gave two million, five hundred thousand for it. 

Its entire product up to date has been ninety 
million dollars, and it is still producing one million 
eight hundred thousand per annum, one million of 
which is profit. The nine hundred stamps in the 
mill work day and night, unceasingly, and their 
noise resembles the roar of Niagara. 



18 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

Most of the men employed are foreigners, and 
after hearing various estimates made by different 
authorities, it is safe to say that on an average, one 
life a week is lost through various accidents in this 
mine. 

I walked around looking at things about me, 
but the steady rain made my visit most uncomfort- 
able. I could not but be impressed by the sight of 
the "Gloria Hole/' as it is called, which is the great 
excavation three hundred feet deep, and twice as 
broad, made in taking out the ore during the first 
years of the working of the mine. 

Now there are innumerable tunnels, lighted with 
electricity, running from its floor, horizontally into 
the depths of the earth, following the rich veins of 
ore. The truck cars loaded with ore so continuously 
appear from these openings that one wonders if 
there is any limit to the supply. 

It had been a day of steady rain, and the chilli- 
ness of the morning hours had been increased by 
the experience of the afternoon. On my return to 
the hotel it was a most delightful surprise to find 
the steam heat on, and the odor of supper in the air. 
During the meal I made the acquaintance of the 
"oolican," called also the candle fish, because of the 
oil it contains. When dried it burns with a light 
equal to several candles. Seeing them on the menu, 
I ordered some and found them so small that I was 






A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 19 

served with about a dozen as a portion. They were 
good, but quite rich. 

In spite of the dismal weather, Juneau im- 
pressed me as a very interesting and attractive place. 
Like Fort Wrangle, it is partly built over the beach 
on piles, the streets and sidewalks being made of 
wooden planks. Nestling, as it does, at the foot of 
snow-capped mountains, which rise precipitously 
at its back, the town has a very picturesque situation. 
It is the largest and busiest port of southeastern 
Alaska, and has a population of about three 
thousand. 

The story is told of the original owner of the 
placer mine, on the sight of which Juneau now 
stands, that he sold his claim for thirty-five thou- 
sand dollars. Afterward he was seen crying be- 
cause he said he was afraid he would not live long 
enough to spend all that money. He did live to 
spend it all and to again become a day laborer. 

Outsiders say that it rains all summer and snows 
all winter in Juneau. When the inhabitants hear 
this they appear greatly insulted, resent the charge 
as a fabrication and claim that the climate of their 
city is as good as that of other places. But the 
story goes that they recently asked for a reduction 
in their insurance rates, claiming that, as they had 
rain or snow continuously, the buildings were 
always damp, and that this in itself was good fire 
protection. The insurance men, probably laughing 



20 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

in their sleeves and thinking to themselves, "What 
will not men do for money ?" recognized their con- 
fession of continual wet weather as a just claim, and 
readily granted a reduction of rates from ten to eight 
per cent. 

At Juneau is the only insurance agency in Alaska. 

Only a few doors from the Occidental was a 
hurdy-gurdy dance house, and I peeped in during 
the evening to see what "was doing. " I found it 
similar to all such places of amusement which I had 
seen in the mining camps and cowboy towns in 
the West of a few years back. 

It is a simple but effective institution for separat- 
ing the miner who is flush, from his money, and the 
methods of procedure in all cases are practically the 
same. 

Whenever the orchestra, or piano player, as the 
case may be, "gets busy," the dance is announced 
and partners chosen. At the end of the dance each 
couple promenades to the bar and the "gent" pays 
for liquid refreshment for himself and "lady." 

This costs him from twenty-five cents to a dollar, 
according to the prosperity of the times, and as this 
occurs after each dance, and the dancing is con- 
tinued "all through the night," anyone can see how 
this separating process is accomplished. As his 
pockets become empty the man becomes full, but not 
dangerous, as was the cowboy, when he was having 
his day in the "wild and woolly West," making the 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 21 

dance houses he frequented very perilous places to 
visit. The miner is less picturesque. The som- 
brero, bandanna neck kerchief, high-heeled boots 
with spurs attached, pistol at waist and "chip on 
shoulder" are wanting; but he can "soak in" just 
as much whisky, and enjoys it all the more because 
he is sure of finding himself with a whole skin when 
he awakens after sleeping off the effects. 

It is the rule for the "lady" to receive half of the 
intake at the bar for which she is responsible. She 
usually, unless compelled to do so, avoids taking 
intoxicating drinks herself, so the drunkenness is 
almost entirely confined to the men. 

Gambling rooms are usually attached to the 
dance houses, and here the same process of "separa- 
tion" is carried on, but much more rapidly. 

The stop-over at Juneau necessitated a wait of 
several days, for the next regular steamer. But I 
found that a smaller boat was leaving that night 
for Sitka, by way of Skagway. 

A visit to Sitka was not in my plan when leaving 
home, but when the opportunity to take this side trip 
without loss of time presented itself, I gladly availed 
myself of it. 

Accordingly, I found myself at ten o'clock on 
board the "Georgia," minus sleeping quarters, which 
were not to be had, and in the company of a crowd 
of excursionists returning to Skagway after the 
Fourth. We prepared to spend the night in the 



22 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

ladies' cabin. Mandolin music, furnished by two 
colored gentlemen, entertained us till long past mid- 
night, when we all stretched out as best we could, to 
get a little sleep. 

I was on deck by half-past five the next morning 
and found that we were just entering the Lynn 
Canal, which is at the end of the Inland Route. I 
passed an inspiring day in this long fjord, which is 
a natural canal leading to Skagway. The wonder- 
ful mountains came close on either hand, and were 
reflected in the deep, clear water at their feet. I did 
not regret that the five hours spent in ascending the 
canal were, after touching at Skagway, only long 
enough to let off passengers, to be repeated in the 
afternoon in retracing our steps. It was six o'clock 
when we again reached the entrance and turned 
westward toward Sitka. 

On our way we stopped at many small places, one 
of which, Kilisnoo, has a large herring-oil factory, 
doing, I was told, a profitable business. I should 
have enjoyed seeing the process, but was told that 
the proprietors discouraged visitors, so thought it 
best to remain on the outside. 

On the following morning we passed through 
Peril Narrows, at the entrance to which Uncle Sam 
has placed a lighthouse, and later entered White 
Stone Narrows, where no beacon seems to be 
necessary. Their rocky shores as we went through 
seemed almost within a stone's throw of our boat. 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 23 

I have read of Norway's coast, and dreamed of 
one day seeing it. But, surely, nothing on earth 
could excel the grandeur we had about us at every 
turn of this "American Norway/' Norway's moun- 
tains could surely not exceed these in beauty and 
majesty; here were the same waterfalls and cas- 
cades which there abound; the same deep, clear 
fjords between shores rising to the sky; the same 
dark pines and firs contrasting with the dazzling 
snow-covered summits. 

What scenery could be more impressive and 
wonderful than this of my own land ? 

At last toward evening we looked out upon the 
open sea, where there was nothing but the great 
Pacific between us and China, and at about seven 
we landed at Sitka, the old capital of Russian 
America. 



CHAPTER IV. 

I found Sitka the most interesting place in 
Alaska. It does not attract the gold hunter, as 
"rich strikes" have not been made in its vicinity, 
but to the tourist the historic interest adds much to 
the charm of its beautiful situation. It is nestled at 
the foot of great snow-draped mountains, which sur- 
round it on three sides; before it stretches the bay 
dotted with sixty islands, making a setting of great 
beauty, and adding to the attractiveness of the place. 

On the slopes of the mountains are evidences of 
recent glacial action. The moving glacier, I was 
told, cuts down large trees as though they were 
straws, leaving a track as clean as a closely-cropped 
pasture. 

The Russian Governor formerly had his resi- 
dence here, and it is said lived in splendor in his 
mansion of logs on Capitol Hill, a picturesque knob 
or mound rising from the water's edge to a height 
of less than a hundred feet. From their windows, 
the old Governors must have enjoyed some gorgeous 
sunsets, ere their country parted with the historic 
building, about which tradition has woven many an 
interesting romance. The structure has, unfor- 
tunately, been destroyed by fire, after having been 
gradually denuded of the rich interior furnishings 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 25 

left by the retiring Russians. The building was 
never occupied by the representatives of the United 
States. 

The present Governor, Mr. John G. Brady, is 
content to live with his fellows in the town in true 
democratic fashion. Here he has his official resi- 
dence belonging to the Government, but proudly 
shows to visitors his vegetable garden in the rear 
of his private residence on the edge of the town, 
where he has carefully cultivated such crops as may 
be seen in the States. These he exhibits as a sample 
of what can be done in Alaska. But the climate of 
Sitka is quite mild, owing to the influence of the 
Japanese Current, and not at all typical of Alaska 
proper, and it is doubtful if such results could be 
obtained further inland. Last winter there was not 
enough cold weather for an ice crop, and during the 
summer an ice famine was the result. Think of it, 
with the thermometer on July sixth at fifty-two in 
the shade ! 

Keeping warm, even during these mild winters 
is expensive, as soft coal is worth fifteen dollars a 
ton, and wood over seven dollars a cord. 

The Government maintains an agricultural de- 
partment in Alaska, at the head of which is Pro- 
fessor C. C. Georgeson, a Dane by birth, and a man 
of wide experience. His headquarters are in Sitka, 
and he lives in a beautiful house which occupies the 
site of the old Governor's mansion on Capitol Hill. 



26 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

The appropriation for this department is only 
fifteen thousand dollars annually, and out of this 
the Professor has to pay traveling expenses and 
clerk hire. 

He makes periodical visits to parts of the district 
where gardens are possible, or are already started, 
and encourages agriculture by giving advice and 
furnishing seed for experiments. 

I called on the Governor and found him a very 
agreeable gentleman. He was formerly a Presby- 
terian missionary to the Indians, and is very popular 
with them. Being a man of high honor and 
honesty, and not a politician, he has not fallen in 
with all the "schemes" for the "improvement" of his 
territory, and possibly this fact accounts for his 
unpopularity with many of the white people. 

While in the company of the Governor, I was 
fortunate in meeting Professor Georgeson, whose 
wide scientific knowledge and practical experience 
made him a most delightful and interesting compan- 
ion later on. 

The United States also maintains at Sitka a 
military post of seventy men, and it was here, so 
the story goes, that Rear-Admiral Schley, then a 
confirmed old bachelor, became a benedict, falling 
victim to the charms of the minister's daughter 
during the long winter of enforced idleness. 

By far the most interesting structure in the town 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 27 

is the old Greek Church, built in 1814 by the 
Russians. 

As it was but a step from the hotel, I visited it 
the morning after my arrival. On paying a fee of 
fifty cents I was allowed to enter and found the nine 
o'clock service in progress. The gorgeousness of 
the interior would be hard to describe. I was not 
prepared for such beauty and richness in this far-off 
corner of the earth. The statues, without which no 
Roman church is complete, were nowhere to be seen, 
but the mural decorations representing Bible scenes 
and characters, were oil paintings of great value, 
and done by an artist of no mean ability. The 
images of saints on the walls were in relief and 
richly inlaid with gold, silver and jewels. 

Much of the service consisted of music. The 
choir was composed of Indian boys, and their chant- 
ing and singing in a minor key, and without accom- 
paniment was charming. A severe thunder storm 
continued during the entire service, but seemed to 
blend with the music and add to its impressiveness. 

About ten Indians, male and female, formed the 
congregation, kneeling on the bare floor, for seats 
were lacking. 

On entering, each one knelt, bent over and kissed 
the floor, or the air, a hair's bredth from it. This 
act of devotion was repeated at intervals, and, al- 
though the services were in a foreign tongue, the 



28 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

Indians seemed to know the proper moments for 
each performance of this ceremony. 

One fat old squaw accomplished her devotions 
with difficulty, for the stiffness of old age and rheu- 
matism was in her bones. I pitied her slow and 
painful efforts at bending and rising, and thought 
her way to heaven indeed hard. 

The services lasted for an hour and a half, and 
I should have been thoroughly fatigued if I had not 
spied a bench in a corner, the only seat in the build- 
ing, and thankfully took possession of it. 

After service, I asked the Indian official who had 
taken my entrance fee, if I could look around. He 
said, "You want see?" "Yes," I replied. 

"Come on," said he, and conducted me to a seat. 
After some delay the priest approached and took me 
into a side room, a sort of sanctum sanctorum, 
where some especially valuable possessions of the 
church were kept. One was an image of the "Ma- 
donna and Child," in bas relief, of pure gold, for 
which an offer of twenty-five thousand dollars had 
been refused. 

He also removed the cover from a glass globe 
which protected from moth and dust a cap orna- 
mented richly with many costly jewels. 

In contrast to this is the Presbyterian church, 
plain, unassuming and without interior decoration. 
It is neat as a bandbox, and not much larger. 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 29 

One of the most beautiful spots about Sitka is 
a piece of woodland called the Natural Park. Tak- 
ing my rain coat and umbrella, I proceeded in its 
direction. En route I enjoyed a visit to the Presby- 
terian Mission School, to which is attached a most 
interesting museum of Indian relics. 

On leaving the Mission the way led through a 
most romantic walk along the ocean, overarched 
with dark cedars, through which glimpses of the 
water were had at intervals. This is called "Lover's 
Lane," and led directly to the most beautiful little 
park, formed entirely by the hand of Nature. At 
the end of the path the mouth of Indian River, where 
it flows into the ocean, is reached, and here were 
standing five totem poles, so new-looking and clean 
that it made one suspect they had been placed there 
yesterday. 

Totem poles are the most curious productions of 
Indian workmanship. There is a difference of 
opinion as to their meaning, but after hearing sev- 
eral versions, I concluded they were a sort of Indian 
coat-of-arms. Every figure, however grotesque, 
has a meaning to the initiated, although to an out- 
sider they appear supremely ridiculous. 

Sitka has the usual Indian Village, the people 
earning a living by selling curios, peddling salmon 
berries and fishing. From what I saw of the Indian 
here and in other parts of Alaska, he is peaceable 
and harmless, but without ambition or enterprise 



30 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

beyond that necessary to procure the bare necessities 
of life. 

He seems to have nothing warlike in his nature, 
and some man with a head for mathematics has cal- 
culated that he can live luxuriously on twenty-five 
dollars a year. Many are deformed and stunted, 
the result, it is said, of the inheritance of disease 
from the white man generations ago. 

That something can be made of the Indian, even 
in his worst phase, has been proved by the successful 
experiment made at Metlakahtla by Father Duncan. 

One cannot make a visit to southeastern Alaska 
without hearing of this wonderful man and his 
work. He was in his youth an Episcopal minister in 
Scotland. He came to Canada as a missionary 
years ago, and is now an old man, having accom- 
plished what he set out to do — the civilization of 
one of the most brutal of the Indian tribes of south- 
eastern Alaska. 

He began by learning their language, that he 
might instruct them in the various trades that 
would make them self-supporting, as well as in the 
religion of Christ, which has changed them from a 
state of semi-cannibalism to that of useful God- 
fearing men. Then interference came in the form 
of a High Church bishop, and after seventeen years 
of toil he and his Indians found that the Canadian 
Government would give them no title to the land 
on which their village stood ; so, accepting an offer 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 31 

of Annette Island from the United States, they took 
only their personal possessions, left the church and 
homes which they had built for themselves and sadly 
moved to begin life anew in the wilderness. The 
new Metlakahtla is now thirteen years old, and the 
experiment a success; Father Duncan is the most- 
talked-of man in Alaska, and well he deserves the 
praise he receives, for he has shown the way. May 
our people follow him with some means of help for 
these neglected and much-abused people ! 

Visitors to Sitka are usually much interested in 
the naval coaling station and store-house maintained 
by the Government. We read much about the great 
importance of such stations, but seldom have the 
chance of seeing a great steamer lay in the immense 
supply necessary to feed her engines on a long 
voyage. 

Although the Governor and some of the United 
States officials still retain their residences at Sitka, 
it is now not the legal capital. On account of its 
more-central position, Juneau has recently been 
made the seat of government. 

The street-cleaning department is simple but 
effective. No "white wings" pushed along their 
dust cans on wheels, looking intently about for 
stray bits of litter, but in their stead were black 
wings in plenty, belonging to the numerous crows 
of the vicinity, who did their work quite as 



32 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

thoroughly as do the buzzards of Charleston, or the 
dogs of Constantinople. 

The two days spent at Sitka were, in spite of the 
fact that it rained almost continuously, quite time 
enough to enable me to see all of interest there. It 
is a "dead" place, and I did not wonder that Lieu- 
tenant Schwatka, of Arctic exploration fame, while 
tarrying in the town was driven to drink. There 
was nothing else for him to do, and I was told that 
he became a record-breaker for consuming whisky. 
He disdained the meager capacity of the ordinary 
whisky glass, and drank it from a goblet. Poor 
fellow, he became an alcoholic slave and afterwards 
died in Portland from its effects. 

At seven the next morning I found myself again 
steaming northward, saying, as this interesting old 
Russian town faded in the distance, "Farewell, Sit- 
ka, beautiful, historic, quiet and somnambulistic! 
Would that I were permitted to stay longer and try 
the rest cure which your atmosphere suggests, but 
time and the anticipation of what lies before me 
forbids." 

At five that afternoon we landed at the Barron 
Fish Cannery, one of the newest, most-modern and 
complete of all the thirty-five to fifty canneries said 
to be doing business in Alaska. 

It had been open but nine days and had already 
paid all of the expenses for the season. 

We went on shore and were allowed to enter the 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 33 

cannery and were much interested in watching the 
process. At one end of a continuous operating 
table, the salmon were cleaned. Then the beautiful 
red meat was cut into chunks and thrown into a 
receiver, which started it on an automatic journey of 
perhaps one hundred and fifty feet. At the end of 
the trip it landed inclosed in perfectly soldered cans 
and ready for the boiling process, in water heated to 
over two hundred degrees. 

After being boiled thoroughly and having the 
labels pasted on the cans, this delicious sea food 
was ready for the market. 

The waters in this immediate vicinity literally 
swarm with fish during the spawning season, but 
this may not always be so. Captain Barrow, the 
owner of the cannery, told me that the habits of the 
salmon are not yet perfectly known, notwithstanding 
Professor Blank says they are. 

The cannery at Petersburg, nearly two hundred 
miles east of here, has been closed for two years, 
owing to the salmon having, without apparent 
cause, deserted the waters in that vicinity. Salmon 
roe has no market as yet, but it is predicted by men 
in the canning business that the day will come when 
there will be the same demand for it as for shad roe. 
The tgg is as large as a pea, and requires separate 
mastication in eating. 

These canneries in Alaska run high into the mil- 
lions of dollars in their productive value and pay 



34 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

better than many mining propositions. The insur- 
ance rate on the Barron plant is three per cent on 
the building and two and a half on the stock. 

The Cottage City had an excursion party on 
board, composed largely of church people. They 
made the air melodious with Sunday school songs, 
each with the proverbial eighteen verses, which they 
continued to the bitter end. 

After the six-o'clock dinner an amusing incident 
occurred. 

One of the ladies came to the Captain in high 
dudgeon, complaining that a waiter had insulted 
her. At dinner she had asked for fish first and he 
brought her soup. The fish when it did arrive was 
not prepared to her taste. Then he said he was 
not the cook. She was encouraged in her "kick" 
by a following of friends, saying, "That's so, Cap- 
tain." The Captain, being in an "agreeable" mood, 
wanted his passengers satisfied, so he called the 
waiter and said in a loud voice and in the presence 
of everyone, "You're drunk. You insulted this lady. 
Take your apron off and go down stairs !" 

The man attempted an explanation, but none was 
allowed, the Captain in his double bass voice sternly 
commanding, "Go at once, or I'll have the gang- 
take you down, and put you in irons, where you will 
be perfectly safe." 

The waiter was reprimanded and the ladies were 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 35 

jubilant over their success in being vindicated in 
their complaint. 

But the joke was, that it was the Captain him- 
self who was drunk, and the ladies did not know it. 
Then it was whispered that the lady in question had 
done no "tipping" and this in itself was enough to 
put any waiter in a bad humor. 

During the evening it was announced that on 
the following morning we were to reach Taku Bay. 
When, bright and early, we were aroused by the 
loud clanging of the dinner bell, we knew that the 
call meant up, dress and on deck as speedily as 
possible. 

When I reached the deck we had already entered 
the bay, and were gliding slowly along through the 
clear water. The Taku Glacier was a sight and 
experience never to be forgotten. There it lay, 
right before us, winding down between the steep 
sides of the mountain valley, its source invisible, 
and its foot reaching into the water. 

It is a live glacier, and throws off at intervals 
immense masses of ice from its lower end. These 
float off and fill the quiet bay, moving slowly about 
like fairy queens, majestic, exquisite, of all tints and 
shades of blue, from deep indigo to pure white, and 
of all sizes and shapes, stately and magnificent, fan- 
tastic and grotesque. 

It was a sight whose novelty and charm are diffi- 
cult to describe, but which will linger in my memory 



36 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

with the wonders of the Yellowstone and the sub- 
limity of the Grand Canyon. The slow majestic 
movements of the bergs is due to the fact that 
seven-eighths of their mass is under water. 

When an iceberg breaks off from the parent 
glacier, there is a loud, ominous crack, and the mass 
comes sliding through the water with an irresistible 
force, bringing certain destruction to anything in 
its path. 

For this reason a near approach to the glacier 
is dangerous, and the steamship companies have 
very strict rules forbidding their vessels to do so. 
One captain, I was told, had recently been dismissed 
for disobeying this order. 

I had hoped, when I visited Alaska, to see the 
famous Muir Glacier in Glacier Bay, but this sight 
is now hidden from the tourist. An earthquake 
some time ago so shattered the great glacier that 
the bay is completely filled with icebergs, and en- 
trance impossible. It will probably never again be 
one of the sights of an Alaskan trip. 

Near the Taku is another glacier, the Livingston. 
This is a dead glacier, and in contrast to the other 
is a sorry sight to behold. It is gradually receding 
from the water's edge, and is of a dirty color, owing 
to the coverings of dust blown over it by the wind. 

At last, after we had feasted our eyes for some 
time on the magnificent sights about us, our vessel 
turned and we sailed noiselessly away from our 




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A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 37 

early flirtation with these Arctic goddesses, taking 
with us an impression that can never be effaced. 

We had been awakened from our slumbers at 
three o'clock to see this magic sight, and, as we 
moved away, the majority of the passengers not 
accustomed to such early hours, yawned and re- 
turned to their beds. Others found that the clear 
daylight had driven sleep from their eyes, and yield- 
ing to the fascination of the scene and hour, re- 
mained on deck, using the long interim before break- 
fast time in viewing the scenery, which still con- 
tinued in beauty and grandeur. 

During the day we made a short stop at Haine's 
Mission, adjoining which is Fort William H. Sew- 
ard. This is a very pretty spot, cleared by the 
Government at a cost of two hundred and fifty thou- 
sand dollars. 

The soldiers at the fort are from the army posts 
of Columbus, Ohio, and Fort Thomas, in Kentucky, 
opposite Cincinnati. 

This was our last stop before reaching the Lynn 
Canal, through which we pursued our way again 
to its terminus, where we had Dyea on the left and 
Skagway on the right, with four miles of sailing 
between them. 



CHAPTER V. 

Dyea is the foot of, and the entrance to, the 
Chilkoot Pass, and Skagway stands in the same re- 
lation to White Pass. These two entrances to the 
Klondike were where much interest centered in 
the great rush to the gold fields in 1898. 

While the interest was intense at these two 
places, it was terrific at certain spots on the road 
between them and Dawson, the objective point of 
the gold hunters. 

In this mad rush, there was a side of human 
nature shown which, for selfishness and lust for 
gold, can hardly be imagined. 

It has been estimated that eighty thousand peo- 
ple left their homes, in all parts of the world, for 
the Klondike, and only thirty-five thousand ever 
reached the goal. 

Many became discouraged, faint hearted, foot 
sore and weary and turned back, while some re- 
mained as part of Mother Earth. 

A miner's outfit, as described to me by a "sour 
dough/' is as follows: First in importance, his 
pick, shovel and pan; then a water-proof match 
box, one hand ax worn in his belt, a strong knife, 
memorandum book, lead pencil and compass; for 
"grub," beans, bacon, flour and salt, with a frying 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 39 

pan for cooking; a hunter's bag, made of wolf skin 
to sleep in, and a good blanket. The weight of this 
combination is from fifty to sixty pounds, and some- 
times a mule is used to carry the pack. 

This man said, "You don't need medicine in 
this climate; grub is the principal thing." How- 
ever, I would not follow a miner's advice on that 
subject, as he is usually strong, healthy and has a 
good digestion. 

He has two sets of teeth, one in his mouth, 
another in his stomach, and he does not need medi- 
cine. All persons, however, are not thus well 
equipped. 

The above-mentioned "sour dough" also gave 
me the following piece of advice with regard to 
secrecy when gold is discovered: 

"In the event of your making a find, don't tell 
anyone, not even your partner, for there is no secret 
when two know it." 

It is related of the Mackey, Flood, O'Brien and 
Fair crowd, of California, that when they discovered 
the lode that led to the great Comstock Mine, they 
covered it up entirely from view, went to San Fran- 
cisco, made conditional contracts with bankers and 
through this secrecy alone were able to control the 
management of that wonderful mine which made 
them all multi-millionaires. 

Mrs. Taylor, the proprietress of the Fifth Ave- 



40 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

nue Hotel in Skagway, related to me some heart- 
rending scenes of which she was a witness in the 
"rush of '98." She was living at Dyea at that time 
and saw hundreds turning homeward, broken in 
spirit and hope-forsakeru, She heard horses cry 
like suffering humans, and saw them drop dead 
from hunger and exhaustion. 

When traveling on the two passes mentioned, 
horses have been known to push on under whip and 
lash, until nature failed, and then fall in their tracks 
never to rise again. They were heard to groan 
piteously in their hunger and weakness and show 
almost human emotions. In "Dead Horse Gulch/' 
on the White Pass, there were at one time thirty-five 
hundred carcasses. 

Since the White Pass and Yukon Road has been 
built over the White Pass, Chilkoot Pass has re- 
lapsed into history, as has Dyea. The buildings at 
Dyea were sold at auction, the brewery bringing 
only five dollars. All buildings were removed for 
the lumber they contained, and nothing now remains 
of that once-busy town but a vegetable garden. 
A man has shown considerable enterprise in 
plowing up the streets, and is trying the experiment 
of raising garden truck to supply the market of 
Skagway. 

It was once a local axiom, "All who enter Chil- 
koot Pass leave truth behind." But the fact that 
the pass has been abandoned, as a route of travel, 




Hanging Rocks near Clifton, on the White Pass 
and Yukon R. R. 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 41 

does not insure the traveler finding no liars in 
Alaska. 

The United States cruisers, "Chicago" and 
"Marblehead," and the torpedo-boat destroyer, 
"The Perry," were anchored just off the coast at 
Skagway, and the Skagway daily^ newspaper an- 
nounced a game of baseball to begin at seven that 
evening between the sailor boys of the "Chicago" 
and the "Townies." 

Skagway is in a basin of snow-capped moun- 
tains, and at the foot of Skagway Valley, ^or Can- 
yon. The meteorological conditions are such that 
the wind blows continually. The air, therefore, is 
always fresh and invigorating. 

Ten miles north and ten miles south, the snow 
falls very deep in the winter, but the steady wind 
prevents much of it settling in the town. 

There are one thousand people in the place to- 
day; three years ago there were ten thousand, and 
during the rush of f gy and '98, some say there were 
twenty thousand scattered around in tents and 
shacks, on the hill and mountain sides. 

There were among them all kinds of persons, 
many of whom were "non-producers," living on 
their wits and other people's money. It was here 
that "Soapy Smith," died "suddenly." He was a 
gambler and a blackleg, with a tough "constituency" 
back of him. 



42 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

He robbed people systematically and every other 
way. There are in Skagway today people who re- 
member him, and can relate his tragic death at the 
hands of a physician, after the physician himself 
had received a fatal shot from "Soapy's" pistol. 

I retired to my room at eleven o'clock, but this 
daylight habit of nature had begun to fasten its 
charms upon me, and I gazed long from my window 
as in a trance, into the soft stillness of midnight, 
before I lay down not so much for sleep as for rest 
and to hurry the approaching morrow. 

I know that poor beds are sometimes conducive 
to early rising, but that was not the case at the 
"Fifth Avenue/' where everything was first-class at 
one dollar fifty per day, with fifty cents extra for 
very satisfactory meals. 

The next morning while waiting for the free 
bus to convey us to the station where we were to 
take the train to White Horse, the clerk of the hotel 
entertained us by telling an incident which happened 
in the "gold rush" time in Skagway. 

A speculator has imported five hundred chickens 
and penned them in a tent ready to be sold at five 
dollars apiece, the retail price of a chicken in '98. 
In the night they were visited by dogs of the Alas- 
kan breed, crafty, sly and hungry. In the morning 
not a feather of the five hundred was to be found. 
The dogs were "in" a good meal, and the speculator 
"out" about twenty-five hundred dollars. 




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CHAPTER VI. 

The trip from Skagway was made on the famous 
White Pass and Yukon narrow-gauge railroad, a 
distance of one hundred and eleven miles to White 
Horse. It is the "best-paying road in America," 
having paid for itself before it was finished. At 
White Horse, boat travel is resumed, so that this 
was the only railroad travel I experienced after 
leaving Seattle, till my return. 

There were only five passengers, and we soon 
became one select party; Mrs. H. and her little 
daughter, Dolly, going to join her missionary hus- 
band at Circle; Miss. L., who is identified with the 
hospital work of the Episcopalian Mission at Fair- 
banks; Major F., inspector of the Government 
posts ; Professor Georgeson, representing the Gov- 
ernment agricultural department of Alaska, whom 
I had met in Sitka, and myself. 

It required two engines to take us to Summit, 
the highest point of the pass, but from there on was 
down grade. Just before reaching Summit, we 
passed a spot where fifty-five men were killed in a 
snow-slide in the rush of '98. 

In the rush to this mecca of gold hunters, two 
men would start out as partners, and not infre- 
quently fall out and divide their partnership posses- 



44 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

sions. The boat, so necessary on the lakes and 
rivers, would be cut in two, the sheet-iron stove 
divided into halves, the blanket ripped in the mid- 
dle, and all other of their joint possessions divided 
with exact equality, but with utter disregard for 
their future usefulness. Each man was bent on not 
allowing the other any advantage. 

When we reached Summit and stopped at the 
station, the sight of the British flag and our own 
Stars and Stripes, floating side by side, reminded 
us that we were about to leave the protection of our 
fatherland and enter upon Canadian soil. This 
was further emphasized by the entrance of a dirty- 
looking fellow with an ill-smelling pipe in his mouth 
which he continued to puff, regardless of the pres- 
ence of the ladies. This person, we discovered, 
was the inspector, and we soon found our luggage, 
as well as ourselves, undergoing a thorough exami- 
nation. The custom officer and his pipe gave us 
their company as far as Bennett, and I assure you 
did not add any to the pleasure of the trip. 

Summit being the highest point, as well as the 
dividing line, we began to descend on leaving it, 
having parted with the extra engine used in the 
ascent. 

We had a good dinner at Bennett for a dollar, 
after which we passed Lakes Linden and 
Bennett, where the water route to the Klondike 
formerly began, and whose banks in the rush of '98 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 45 

presented a busy scene of boat building by those who 
had succeeded in crossing the pass and were prepar- 
ing to go on. 

Just before reaching White Horse we saw Miles 
Canyon and White Horse Rapids, so destructive to 
the lives and property of those same boat builders, 
who tempted fortune on these waters. 

After an eight-hour ride from Skagway, we ar- 
rived at White Horse, where we put up at the New 
Windsor Hotel. It was a "makeshift" stopping 
place, a late conflagration having destroyed the best 
hotel. We were glad to get under a roof even at 
two dollars per day for room, and fifty cents extra 
for each meal. 

With Major Febinger, I called on Major Snyder 
at his headquarters. The Major is in command of 
the Canadian Military Post. While there we were 
introduced to Mr. Jack Dalton. His name was 
familiar, and we learned later that he was a "squaw 
man," and a pioneer of the country. He once had 
a contract with the United States Government to 
furnish beef to the military posts at seventy-five 
cents per pound, which item he related to us himself. 
The famous "Dalton Trail" was named in his honor, 
and rumor has it that he was responsible for several 
"good Indians." 

There is a flourishing vegetable garden at this 
post, which the Major is fond of showing to his 
callers. 



46 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

The United States Government has six military 
posts and about one thousand soldiers in Alaska. 
I fail to see any present use for them, unless they 
should be put on police duty and perform the same 
service for Alaska that the mounted police do in 
the Yukon territory of Canada. 

We returned to the hotel, where, in spite of the 
mosquitos, we sat in the midst of the chronic day- 
light, till, looking at our watches, we saw it was 
midnight, then retired. 

My room was just barely large enough for me 
to enter and pivot around in, without endangering 
the wall paper, but it was neat, with clean bed linen 
— two features more important than size — and I 
was soon asleep in spite of the undiminished light 
from without. 

On Tuesday, July thirteenth, just before noon 
we boarded the flat-bottomed, stern-wheeled steamer 
"White Horse," bound for Dawson. She drew 
only four feet of water, but was first-class in all 
respects. Our party of five, which had had a mo- 
nopoly of the railroad coach, was now increased to 
twelve, and each passenger enjoyed a stateroom to 
himself. 

At White Horse the river is called Fifty-Mile 
River. It spreads to a width of one hundred and 
fifty feet between shores. It is very deep and has 
a fierce current. 




Approach of Tunnel near White Pass Summit 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 47 

At Hootalinqua the river's name is changed to 
Lewes, and at the mouth of the Pelly, the name 
Yukon begins. 

White Horse is at the head of navigation. 

Major Febinger had made the trip before, and, 
in order that we might be prepared, gave us a few 
samples of the kind of stories we might expect to 
hear. 

First, he told us about the Klondike eggs, classi- 
fied as "strictly-fresh" eggs, "fresh" eggs and 
eggs. 

When a customer in a restaurant asked the 
waiter if the eggs were good, he said, "Pretty good, 
but they look better scrambled." 

Eggs were so expensive once in Dawson that 
cafe managers had signs hung up reading, "Cus- 
tomers not in good financial standing will be re- 
quired to make a deposit before ordering eggs." 

Liars are also divided into three classes in the 
territory : The liar, the d — d liar and the Yukoner, 
which bit of information of the Major's reminded 
one of the party that General Blank once remarked 
that there were only three good liars in Washing- 
ton; one was Senator Doe and the other two were 
Tom Ochiltree. But that was years ago, before 
the Yukon was known. 

One day we had a variety of very warm 
weather, and, as the Major wiped his perspiring 
brow, he remarked, "This reminds me of Yuma, the 



48 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

hottest place on earth, sir. Why a Yumaite, when 
he dies and reaches Hades, has to send back for his 
overcoat, and the people there feed their hens 
cracked ice to keep them from laying hard-boiled 
eggs." 

On the river trip to Dawson we passed several 
soft-coal mines. At one of them we stopped and 
took on some coal to be used in the galley only. It 
was in gunny sacks and cost twenty dollars per ton. 
We made frequent stops for wood, which was used 
to run the engines. It takes about thirty cords going 
down, a distance of four hundred and sixty miles, 
and, because of the swift current, twice as much re- 
turning up stream. 

Cord wood is worth six dollars a cord, and it is 
probable that oil will soon be used on these, as on 
many of the Yukon steamers, as a matter of 
economy. 

We made a short stop at Tantaulus, where I 
could see nothing but a police station and a coal 
mine, and shortly after passed through Five-Finger 
Rapids and Rink Rapids. As the water here is not 
so rapid nor as shallow as in those above White 
Horse, there is no especial danger in going through 
them. 

The scenery so far had been grand beyond de- 
scription. Fascination was in the air. The effect 
of continual daylight in this clear atmosphere and 
bracing climate was simply charming. I prome- 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 49 

naded the deck till midnight, and then turned in 
reluctantly, scarcely able to tear myself from the 
wonders around me. Rest must be had to prepare 
for the morrow, but Nature seemed not tp have 
made any provision for it, today so blending with 
tomorrow that one never knew when one ended and 
the other began. 

When I awoke the next morning the great heart- 
beat of the engine had ceased, and I knew we had 
arrived at Dawson. 



CHAPTER VII. 

We were at last in the heart of the far-famed 
Klondike Region. In all directions from this cen- 
ter, gold mines have been discovered. Only four- 
teen miles from Dawson, at the junction of Bonanza 
and Eldorado Creeks, is Bonanza, also called Grand 
Forks. Within a stone's throw of this place is 
Discovery Mine, on Bonanza Creek, where in 1896, 
the original great strike was made, which electrified 
the world. The news of this rich find caused a 
stampede to this section from all points of the com- 
pass. Nothing like this rush had been known since 
the days of "forty-nine." 

The two creeks mentioned are tributaries to 
the Klondike River, from which stream this region 
takes its name. 

The most reliable story of the finding of gold is 
the following: "Two Indians, while resting from 
a tramp, picked up a small gold nugget from the 
ground. They staked off a claim and took out a 
fortune, but soon severed themselves from it by the 
whisky and gambling method. A man named Mc- 
Cormick staked the adjoining claim, and it gave 
him eight hundred thousand dollars. This great 
fortune departed by the same road as that of the 
Indians, and McCormick was soon reduced to the 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 51 

necessity of earning his daily bread in the vicinity 
of Fairbanks. 

Within a radius of two miles around Bonanza, 
fifty million dollars have been taken from the 
ground. Gold Hill alone furnished six of the mil- 
lions. The mines are all placer mines. As there is 
no deep delving or crushing necessary, which re- 
quires expensive machinery, but only the careful 
washing of surface dirt, this kind of a mine is called 
a poor man's mine. The gold is found in gravel 
beds and is easy of access, but in places requires 
considerable digging. 

In the Yukon territory there are ten claims to 
the mile. A "creek" claim measures five hundred 
by six hundred and sixty feet, according to the 
Canadian law. "Bench" claims and "hill" claims 
are those located on the mountain sides above the 
creeks, and are three hundred feet square. On the 
United States side of the Alaskan boundry, the law 
fixes the size of a claim at six hundred by thirteen 
hundred and twenty feet, or about eighteen acres. 
Uncle Sam is so generous in the size of his claims 
that on Fairfield and Cleary creeks near Fairbanks 
there are respectively only fourteen and twenty- 
five claims. 

In the Klondike the Canadian Government 
formerly exacted a royalty tax of twenty per cent, 
on all gold taken from the ground. This was re- 
duced to ten per cent and again to only two and a 



52 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

half per cent, which it now remains, adding much 
to the better contentment of the miners who for- 
merly objected seriously to so high a rate. 

From the top of Gold Hill a splendid view can 
be had up and down both Bonanza and Eldorado 
creeks. Almost at a glance the eye takes in the 
fascinating combination of engines and boilers, 
steam scoops, shovels, baskets on trolley wires, 
flumes, sluice-boxes and all the paraphernalia for 
extracting the gold dust from the earth. There is 
Cheechaca Hill opposite, and French Hill in the 
distance. 

All the ground in sight has produced gold, 
and a spirit of covetousness stole over me involun- 
tarily, as I gazed at so much wealth almost within 
my grasp, and for a moment I understood the feel- 
ings of the miner and longed to get down and dig; 
to try my fortune with the pick, shovel and pan. 

In the first excitement there was great lack of 
care, and now the dirt here, including the tailings, 
is being worked over and good pay is obtained. 

Some miners I noticed on Gold Hill were arrang- 
ing for hydraulic work when a fellow miner strolled 
by dressed in his Sunday clothes and much the worse 
for liquor. They asked him why he was not work- 
ing. His reply was characteristic. Pulling a 
handful of greenbacks from his pocket he said, "I'm 
not going to work as long as this lasts." 




Scene on the White Pass and Yukon R. R. 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 53 

The mines are numbered according to their con- 
secutive order, up or down the creek, counting from 
Discovery Mine, as No. 6 above, or No. 20 below. 

No one can remain long at "The Forks" with- 
out hearing of Miss Mulrooney, a prominent and 
interesting character of '98, who seems to have left 
a lasting impression on all who knew her. She 
came from Scranton, Pennsylvania, bringing with 
her a thorough knowledge of cooking and house- 
keeping. This secured her the position of steward- 
ess on board a steamer from Seattle, by which means 
she reached Alaska, and finally landed on Eldorado 
Creek. People there seem never to tire of telling 
of her wonderful enterprise. She kept a boarding 
house, worked a mining claim with a force of men 
under her direction, became rich and finally went 
the way of all "good Americans" — to Paris, by 
means of a French count named Cabinair. The 
gentleman was evidenty in "reduced circumstances ,, 
when she met him, as he appeared in Grand Forks 
as the representative of some French mine owners. 

He fell in love with the lady, induced her to 
marry him, and now she is doubtless disporting her- 
self in gay "Paree," but as to this the legends are 
silent. One man having seen her since her de- 
parture states that when he met her on a San Fran- 
cisco steamer she was, to use his words, "dressed as 
fine as any lady," and appeared quite a different 



54 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

person from the Miss Mulrooney of rubber boots 
and overalls. 

I was very fortunate while at Dawson to receive 
with some others an invitation to witness a "clean 
up" at McKay and McGillivary's mine, about ten 
miles distant. The party drove to the place in bug- 
gies and received a warm welcome by both the 
owners and their wives, who were New York 
people. 

The McKays invited us to their log cabin, the 
interior of which we found most elegantly and taste- 
fully furnished. Here we were offered refreshment 
and afterward proceeded to the sluice box. On 
our arrival the running water was shut off, the gold 
scooped up from the bottom and put into a large pan. 
The amount thus obtained they told us was ten 
thousand dollars, the result of three days' sluicing. 

I tried lifting the pan and found it almost beyond 
my strength. Mixed with the fine grains of gold 
dust were about a half dozen nuggets somewhat 
larger than an army bean, and I hoped we might be 
presented with one as a souvenir of this most inter- 
esting visit. But the size of the party, I suppose, 
precluded this. 

General Greely and his party, who were making 
a tour of Alaska, were also present, and Miss Greely, 
a girl about eighteen, was given the privilege of 
trying her hand at panning dirt taken from the 
mine. It was a hard task, but with much exertion 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 55 

and some help, she obtained quite a little pile of 
dust, valued, they said, at about seven dollars. 
She was presented with this by the owner as a 
souvenir, and after some hesitation as to accepting 
it was persuaded to carry it away in her 
handkerchief. 

Fifty-five men were employed in the mine. They 
worked in two shifts, so the work never ceased day 
or night. The men received four dollars per day 
and board. The board cost the owners two dollars 
a day for each man at a neighboring road-house, 
which had the contract for their accommodation. 
The owners expected to exhaust all the "pay dirt" 
by October, they would then move to and operate a 
new claim held by them on Tananah River. 

The Dawson and White Pass Railroad is now 
being constructed up Bonanza Creek, and its course 
is laid out through claims, regardless of the rights 
of the miners. An injunction has been served 
against the company, operations have ceased and 
litigation will probably stop the work for some time 
to come. 

The miners prefer the gold to the doubtful 
future utility to them of the railroad, for they are 
here today and gone tomorrow, and by the time the 
case is settled the land may be exhausted as to its 
gold, and the road graded without any opposition. 

These placer mines can only be worked during 
the summer season of from four to five months. 



56 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

Two, and sometimes three, shifts of men are 
used with continuous work, night and day, made 
possible by the ever-present daylight, Sundays in- 
cluded. Thus, a mine owner, by "Making hay 
while the sun shines," can before the freeze comes, 
get in an amount of work almost equal to that of an 
ordinary year on the outside, where there are unions 
and the eight-hour law. 

Then comes the long winter's rest of which 
many take advantage to return to Seattle or some 
other city in the States, and enjoy "civilized" life for 
a while. Those who prefer to remain and work 
through the long dark days of winter, do so by 
thawing out the dirt with steam pipes and throwing 
it up on the dump where it will be ready for the 
sluice box the following summer. 

There are many Swedes among the miners, and 
one often hears of the "lucky Swede," but do not be 
misled; he is the man who works the hardest and 
saves his money. 

While in Dawson, I met the Rev. Dr. John Prin- 
dle, a missionary who was doing good work in 
Bonanza. He was tall and athletic, about forty-five 
and, when driven to it, could fight as well as preach. 
His education, courteous and agreeable manners 
and earnestness made him as interesting as he was 
useful, and I enjoyed very much listening to his 
stories of the pioneer days of his work in that rough 















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Looking Toward Skagway from Rocky Point 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 57 

community, where he was peculiarly fitted to do 
much good. 

I enquired of the liveryman from whom we had 
hired teams to convey us to the "clean up" if it were 
really true that horses were shot at the end of the 
summer season to save the expense of keeping them 
through the winter, and that horses brought from 
Seattle in the spring could be bought for less than 
the cost of their feed during the long month of in- 
activity. He said it was true; that it had fre- 
quently been done to his knowledge in both Fair- 
banks and Dawson, and that he himself had shot 
two the previous year. It seems a pity to do so, but 
when the freight on a pound of feed from Seattle 
is sixteen cents, what is a man to do? It would 
ruin him to keep them. 

Afterward, while returning home over the 
Canadian Pacific, I met a miner who told me the 
same story. He and his partner had thirty-five 
claims in the Klondike, some five years before, when 
they were so unwise as to undertake to keep eight 
horses through the winter, because they had not the 
heart to shoot them. The cost was so great that, 
to quote his vernacular, "It knocked our bank ac- 
count silly and we went broke." There was no 
money left to keep the claims good, nor to work 
them. In fact, the men were ruined through their 
tender-heartedness. They sold a claim for two hun- 
dred dollars, abandoned the rest in which there were 



58 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

possible millions and left "for the outside," never to 
return, having sacrificed all prospects of riches to 
their kind-heartedness. 

This same miner had a happy encounter the next 
day, which I was pleased to witness. As he sat at 
breakfast in the dining car, up stepped a gentleman, 
slapped him on the back and extended his hand 
with an exclamation of surprised delight. It was 
the partner of five years before, whom he had not 
met since. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Dawson is the heart of the Klondike, and was 
the mecca of gold hunters in the rush of ninety- 
eight. 

The first thing that a cheechaca learns is that 
he may stow away all of his nickles and dimes for 
future reference, as the quarter is the smallest coin 
current. 

I picked one up on the street the day I arrived, 
and felt rich till I found I must spend it for a Cin- 
cinnati Enquirer sixteen days old. All newspapers 
are the same price, whether a Dawson daily, just 
issued, or a Seattle daily, two weeks old. Cigars, 
beer, wine, whisky, soda water and bromo seltzer 
are "two bits" per; two bits for a shave and the 
same to the boot-black for massaging your shoes. 
And the laundry prices! Thirty to fifty cents a 
garment for having your linen "mangled." One 
gentleman paid fifty cents for having a shirt washed 
which cost him only forty-eight cents when new. 

A lady paid thirteen dollars for a small bundle 
of laundry, but passed it ofT pleasantly by saying 
that she knew the dirt was rich around Dawson, 
but did not know it cost so much to get it out of 
linen. 

I thought it my privilege to kick at my bill, but 



60 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

the proprietor smoothed down the ruffled feathers 
by quoting the high price of soap, starch and help. 

A telegram of ten words to Cincinnati costs four 
dollars and a quarter. 

You can have a good, regular meal at the best 
restaurant for six bits — seventy-five cents — but 
should you feel inclined to partake of eggs you will 
pay one dollar for three. For a whole spring 
chicken you will be charged four dollars, and a sir- 
loin steak costs two dollars and fifty cents. 
Stewed tomatoes or corn are fifty cents per portion, 
and for a glass of cow's milk you must part with a 
quarter. 

The "tin-can" cow is found in all parts of Alas- 
ka, and the Klondike, as condensed milk is more 
easily shipped and kept than the live article. 

The greenhouse gets a dollar for three cucum- 
bers from the cafe manager, but I had no desire to 
know the consumer's price. I noticed, however, 
that some people ate them regularly, without regard 
to price or consequences. 

If you are wise and not a spendthrift, you will 
stick to regular meals. They take you from soup 
to coffee in first-class style, especially at the "Nor- 
thern Cafe." These I found most satisfactory and 
least expensive. 

It pays to keep well in Dawson, for physicians 
charge ten dollars a visit, and if you break a bone 
and are taken to the hospital you may be thankful 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 61 

if your clothes are left you in which to depart after 
recovering. 

There is a millionaire preacher living in Dawson 
— a Doctor Grant — who is a man with ways of 
his own. A noted lecturer recently appeared in the 
city and the Doctor at once engaged him to speak 
in his church. He paid the fee out of his own 
pocket, and then threw open the church doors to 
the public free of charge. 

I asked if his million came from mining interests 
but was told that was not the case. He was con- 
nected with the hospital in some way, and there 
must be a large graft somewhere. You will be sur- 
prised, perhaps, to hear of "graft" in Canada, think- 
ing that it belongs exclusively to our great republic, 
but I was told with a smile that Canadians in Daw- 
son are "up to date," and no officer of the Dominion 
had ever left the place for the poor house. 

On July Fourth there was a prize fight between 
Philadelphia Jack O'Brien and Twin Sullivan. The 
fight went the limit of twenty rounds, and was de- 
clared a draw. It certainly was a draw in more 
ways than one, for men poured in from the sur- 
rounding creeks three days in advance, not wanting 
to miss any part of it. Seats sold for five dollars 
and seven dollars and fifty cents each, according to 
location. There was eight thousand dollars in the 
house, and when the decision was given, another 
"go" was arranged for August tenth. 



62 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

Doctor Grant fought and preached against the 
coming contest, announcing from his pulpit that it 
was illegal and would not be permitted. He em- 
ployed a lawyer to stop it. A citizen voiced the 
prevailing sentiment when he said, "When about 
everybody in town wants a thing there is small 
chance for two men to stop them having it." 

As I left before the event I did not hear how it 
turned out, but a daily paper has since announced 
that Mr. O'Brien has returned to California after 
a pleasant summer in Alaska, where he "cleaned 
up" fifteen thousand dollars. 

Mr. William Gates is one of the characters of 
the Klondike. He is familiarly known as "Swift- 
Water Bill," a title he earned by refusing to ride 
through White Horse Rapids on a raft. Bill knew 
a thing or two about people having lost their hold 
on life in these rapids, and, not being prepared to 
quit his earthly career just then, walked miles 
around to make sure of a whole skin and no broken 
bones. 

The title thus obtained has stuck to him ever 
since. He has gained additional notoriety by work- 
ing a corner on eggs. Bill was enamored of one 
of Dawson's belles. The lady was very fond of 
eggs, and, he being "flush," saw a chance to outdo 
his rivals. He bought all the eggs in Dawson, 
causing the price to jump to one dollar per egg. 
I have no doubt the lady appreciated such exagger- 
ated devotion. 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 63 

He is now "on his uppers" in Fairbanks, but 
since returning home I read in the papers how 
"Swift- Water Bill" has made a great strike, and 
is now a millionaire. His wife has put in her ap- 
pearance and brings suit for divorce and alimony. 

"Nigger Jim" is another character much spoken 
of. He is a white man, however, but comes from 
the South and has a true southern accent, which 
last has given him the title. 

He owned the Auditorium in Dawson once, and 
was dubbed a millionaire, although he was prob- 
ably never worth more than twenty-five thousand 
at any time in his life. He also had a fair-weather 
wife who left him for a handsomer man when he 
went broke, and the last that was heard of him was 
that he was in Fairbanks looking for good luck, 
having stampeded there with the other "has beens," 
when gold was discovered in that region. 

There are not more than fifteen hundred people 
in Dawson today, and ninety per cent of them are 
Americans. People who spend the winters here 
are said to grow gray very rapidly, owing to the low 
ceilings of the log cabins, where their heads are in 
the hottest part of the room. 

Some people believe that Dawson is built on a 
glacier. It is a fact that ice is close to the surface, 
and when a stove or furnace stands on the lower 
floor of a building the heat causes a thaw under- 
neath and consequently a sagging of the timbers and 



64 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 



slump in the floor. There is but one brick building 
in Dawson, and that is a double store owned by Mr. 
Palmer, a merchant and mine operator. 

The following list of house rules were in vogue 
at the "Sour Dough Hotel," in the early history of 
Dawson : 



HOUSE RULES 

Towels changed Weekly. 

Dogs not allowed in bunks. 

Candles and Hot Water charged extra. 

Board $2.00 per square foot. Meals extra. 

Spiked Boots must be removed at night. 

Guests are requested not to speak to the Dumb Waiter. 

Anyone troubled with night-mare will find a halter on 
the bed-post. 

If the room gets too warm, open the window and see 
the fire-escape. 

Base-ballists desiring a little practice will find a pitcher 
on the stand. 

Don't worry about paying your bill; the house is sup- 
ported by its foundations. 

The Hotel is convenient to all cemeteries. Hearses 
to hire at 25 cents a second. 

Guests wishing to do a little driving will find hammer 
and nails in the closet. 

Guests wishing to get up without being called can 
have self-rising flour for supper. 

If the lamp goes out take a feather out of the pillow; 
that's light enough for any room. 

If you are fond of athletics and like good jumping, 
lift the mattress and see the bed spring. 

Not responsible for diamonds, bicycles or other valu- 
ables kept under the pillows; they should be deposited 
in the safe. 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 65 

The winters in Alaska and the Klondike are 
long, and, except during two or three hours at noon, 
artificial light is necessary. The people live by the 
clock more than by the sun. One hears much about 
the wonderful fireworks effect of the aurora bore- 
alis, which is seen to best advantage in the winter, 
preventing total darkness, which would result from 
the absence of the sun. 

On July the eighteenth the thermometer at noon 
registered seventy-two in the shade, a very delight- 
ful temperature ; but by ten that night it was down 
to fifty-four, and during my week's stay we had 
frost on two successive nights. 

But occasionally we had the contrast of an ex- 
tremely hot day. On one of these the thermometer 
ran up to ninety-two in the shade and one hundred 
and twenty in the sun, both temperatures always 
being mentioned in Dawson when quotations of the 
weather are made. 

Even at this extreme temperature the sun's heat 
never seems oppressive, but is more like that of a 
moderate fire. One can easily dodge it and cool off 
by seeking the shade, where it is always comfortable. 

On the street one day I encountered a bright 
Irish woman and her daughter whom I had met on 
the Georgia. They had been looking for lucrative 
employment at different places all the way from 
Seattle, and now a position as cook at one hundred 
and twenty-five dollars per month for herself and 



66 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

one as waitress at seventy-five dollars per month for 
her daughter had been offered by a hotel proprietor 
in Dawson, so they decided to locate there. But 
the lady had the gold fever, and a few days later 
I met them on the Sarah, bound for Fairbanks, the 
place of the latest discoveries. 

Wages in Dawson are very high and servants 
scarce. An ordinary domestic receives seventy-five 
dollars a month, while the cook at the "Principal 
Hotel" received fifty dollars a week, and the waiters 
at the "Northern Cafe," one hundred and fifty a 
month. These latter did not expect tips, unless it 
be something worth while, as a five dollar gold 
piece. 

The miners are very independent about tipping, 
and they establish a precedent for others to follow. 

The vaudeville shows did a prosperous business 
when Dawson was at its best. The soubrette who 
sang the most touching and pathetic song, about 
home and mother, had a perfect shower of nuggets 
thrown at her at the end of her stunt. After each 
"artist's" performance the "souper" would sweep 
the floor and present to her on a dust pan the pile 
of nuggets which had been thrown at her feet. 

One songstress had savings from this source 
amounting to fifty thousand dollars, so she decided 
to use it having a good time. She proceeded to 
San Francisco, chartered a yacht, provisioned it 
bountifully, invited her friends for a little vacation 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 67 

trip, and for a while life was a continual round of 
pleasure. 

It was not a long continued round, however, for 
even fifty thousand has a limited capacity, and she 
was soon back in Dawson, singing the same old 
songs in the same old place, to earn her daily bread. 

The largest nugget ever found in the Klondike 
is on exhibition in a jeweler's window in Dawson. 
It weighs eighty-five and forty-eight hundredths 
ounces, and is worth, by weight, thirteen hundred 
dollars. To buy it, however, you would have to 
pay fifteen hundred. Gold dust is worth from four- 
teen to fifteen dollars per ounce, and was in the early 
days used as money. Scales for weighing the dust 
are still to be seen on the counter of stores and 
saloons, where purchases are occasionally made 
with it now. It used to be a common occurrence for 
a man to invite a crowd to drink, and toss his bag of 
gold dust to the barkeeper with the remark, "Take 
out what I owe you, Jim," and there are no records 
of his being cheated. 

Champagne once sold for forty dollars a quart 
bottle, and one dollar was the ordinary price of 
drinks or cigars. The first three nights after the 
"Exchange" was opened the bar receipts were fifty- 
eight thousand dollars, and it was a common thing 
for a saloon to take in three thousand dollars over 
the bar in one night. 



68 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

Formerly a bunk house was filled night and 
day at one dollar per bunk. Sheets were not thought 
of. The landlord just kept his place warm and 
collected the dollars. Lodgers were always waiting 
their turn for a sleep, and the place was filled day 
and night. 

Things now have changed, for Dawson is dull, 
and for the past eighteen months the merchants have 
been selling out their stocks of goods, that they may 
depart for new fields where a "rush" may make 
their business brisk once more. 






CHAPTER IX. 

"Gold, gold, gold, gold, 
Bright and yellow, hard and cold!" 

The preponderance of opinion is that it costs an 
average of ninety per cent to take the gold from the 
ground. Not more than one prospector in a thou- 
sand "goes out" rich. 

His money "comes easy and goes easy." 

It is the old story of every new mining country 
— hard work, privations, long years of hardships, 
then, perhaps, a rich strike and a sudden accumula- 
tion of fifty or a hundred thousand dollars. Then 
comes the reaction ; the rough life gives only a taste 
for rough pleasures, and many times these vast 
accumulations are spent in the brief space of a week 
or ten days, on wine, women and gambling, and 
after this brief period of enjoyment a return to the 
old life. Still it seems a fascinating life to those 
who are in it, and begets a fearless independence and 
recklessness as to the future that astonishes a cool, 
calculating business man. 

After his "pie card" has received its last punch, 
a miner will take account of "cash on hand," and 
if it proves to be only six bits will expend the whole 
of it on a good, square meal, without worrying as to 



70 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

where the next is to come from. Then out he goes 
to the diggings. 

Comparatively few from the "outside" ever 
make a strike, or even get enough to cover expenses. 
In 1898, eighteen men left one town in Texas for 
the Klondike, and each man had about twenty-five 
hundred dollars in cash. After a few weary months 
every one of them returned home "broke." And 
this is the story repeated over and over again in the 
Klondike. 

It is difficult to estimate accurately Alaska's 
great output of the precious metal, as millions of 
dollars in dust are taken from there without any 
record being made of it. 

In order to encourage honesty among their 
workmen it is now the custom for mine owners to 
present a reward of one hundred dollars to any man 
finding a large or valuable nugget. 

As far as experience goes it has been found that 
scientific rules are not especially effective in locating 
gold, for the "cheechaca" is just as liable to make 
a strike as the "sour dough." 

In discussing the matter with an old inhabitant 
with a faculty for observing facts, he said, "Only a 
fool, with the blind luck of a fool, ever made a big 
strike." There certainly seems to be a good deal 
of "fool's luck" in the finding of the gold, but it is 
the wise man who keeps his fortune when it is accu- 
mulated. Gambling is the greatest enemy a miner 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 71 

has, for it is a game in which most men lose and 
very few ever win. But it is a deeply-rooted pro- 
pensity of human nature, which may be seen in all 
walks of life from the crap shooting of the negro 
to the raffle of the church fairs, and the popular 
pastime of our society women, "bridge whist/' or 
the speculations of our business men in the stock 
exchange. It is a game of chance, you win and own 
a fortune, you lose and are a pauper. 

Mining has the same fascination as gambling. 

The concentration of mind on money making 
takes thought from everything else and causes the 
first symptom of that malignant disease called "gold 
fever." It is a disease for which no antidote has 
yet been discovered. It makes men selfish and dis- 
honest, and is fatal to the more common, conserva- 
tive and legitimate methods of accumulating wealth. 

Before starting on my trip I had frequently seen 
in the window of a well-known business man of a 
western city the advertisement of shares for sale in 
a wonderful mine owned by him. I was sufficiently 
interested to note its location, and when I arrived on 
the spot was told that he had no title to the ground, 
there being several outstanding claims that must be 
bought off first. On my return I mentioned to him 
what I had learned. He at first insisted that he did 
own it, but on discovering that I knew whereof I 
spoke, he acknowledged the truth, but asked me to 



72 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

keep it quiet till he had obtained a title, as it might 
hurt the sale of the shares. 

Now, this man is in all other respects strictly- 
honest, a good Christian gentleman and church 
member. But he is, consciously or not, trying to 
"do" his friends and the public. Such an act can 
only be accounted for on the ground that he is 
afflicted with a bad case of gold fever. 

The only members of Alaskan society that are 
immunes from this disease are the canine part of the 
population. 

During my stay in Dawson I had many oppor- 
tunities of observing these very important and inter- 
esting characters. 

When a buckboard automobile, and dog team 
appeared simultaneously on the street there was 
something new to interest the "cheechaca." 

In summer the dogs are having their vacation, 
their chief employment being to howl; but in the 
snowy season they take the place of horses and draw 
sledges over many miles of frozen country. 

In the earlier days the dogs of the Klondike were 
much more important than now, commanding the 
price of a horse. 

The "husky" and the "malamute" are the native 
breeds. The husky, with his short pointed ears, 
bushy tail, shaggy coat and wolf-like face, is the 
picture of intelligence. He is a character study in 
animal life, his very intelligence making him all 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 73 

the more dangerous, when his interests or needs 
bring him in opposition to man. 

He is tricky, displaying remarkable ingenuity in 
discovering and getting at food. He is always 
ravenous, being kept in a half-starved condition con- 
tinuously, and things to eat must be hidden with the 
greatest care to ensure their safety from detection 
by his ever-watchful nose and eye. His skill as a 
thief is very remarkable. He has developed the 
power of self-preservation to a wonderful degree. 

The favorite dog food is dry fish and rice, but 
he also relishes horseflesh, or indeed, almost any 
thing that comes in his way. It is a singular fact 
that long years of short rations have made it im- 
possible for his stomach to retain more than one 
meal a day. 

When homeward bound from a long journey, 
his eagerness to reach home gives him a speed that 
is difficult to stop. No reins are used, the whip 
serving as guide as well as persuader. 

If one of a bunch of huskies attacks any thing, 
all the others calmly watch the fight till the advan- 
tage is decidedly in their companions favor, then all 
jump in and help him complete the job. 

For this reason, if attacked by one of a pack, it 
is best to kill the dog, even though he may be valu- 
able, than let him get any advantage, for the latter 
event would bring the whole pack into active war- 
fare. Besides the natives are many "outside dogs." 



74 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

The Newfoundland, St. Bernard and the mongrel 
are more affectionate and tractable, and much more 
satisfactory in many ways than the natives. 

The native comes rightly by his fighting propen- 
sities. As the dog of the Indian for many genera- 
tions, he has been whipped unmercifully, kept on 
short rations, starved in fact, and has never known 
the least bit of kind treatment. His nature has be- 
come so perverted by this cruelty, that it is doubtful 
if any amount of kindness and affection could 
change it, even in several generations. His wolf 
nature, together with starvation and the brutality 
of his masters, have made him what he is — crafty, 
cunning, thieving, treacherous and useful only when 
in harness. 

The native dog does not bark ; he howls, and the 
young "outside" dog will howl in imitation, as 
though preferring that way of venting his feelings 
to barking. It is curious to watch these puppies 
imitate the howls of their elders, as children do 
older people. 

Say "mush" to a dog and he understands that 
he is to "go on," or "move away." Such is his 
training in obedience that he does so immediately. 

If a dog once gets the advantage over you, he 
may remember it later to your sorrow, and it is 
better to kill him at once than let him see you feel 
any fear. 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 75 

Although the native dog is half wolf, the wolf 
is his chief enemy, and in a fight the latter generally 
comes off victorious. 



CHAPTER X. 

River travel on the Yukon is a mighty uncertain 
quantity as to time, and it was a week before the 
"Sarah" was prepared to take her departure for 
the sixteen-hundred-mile voyage to St. Michaels 
first, and then to Nome. I had become rather im- 
patient at the delay, and was glad to find myself 
afloat again, where without effort I could enjoy the 
ever-changing magnificence of the panorama on 
either hand. 

The passenger list again numbered seventy. 

Our first landing was at Forty-Mile, where there 
is a station of the Canadian mounted police. 

One hears a great deal about the wonderful effi- 
ciency of the work of these officers. They are one 
of Canada's great successes, and are a most power- 
ful factor in keeping law and order in the western 
parts of the Dominion. 

When called upon to act they do so with a fear- 
lessness that has cowed many an outlaw, and their 
cool judgment in cases of emergency has won them 
such respect that even the Indians on the warpath 
do not dare disobey them. 

They have the powers of both police and magis- 
trate, and often make the arrest and administer jus- 
tice on the same day. 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 77 

Their costume is most striking, consisting of a 
tight-fitting, red, military coat, a broad, stifl- 
brimmed, white felt hat, with safety strap behind the 
ears, a la cowboy, and riding boots, although I never 
saw one anywhere in the saddle. They always wear 
a most serious expression, as though they felt the 
great responsibility of their office. 

The men are selected with reference to their 
ability and mental balance, as well as personal 
bravery. From what I saw and heard of them, the 
United States would do well to use some of our 
soldiers in the same manner. 

Forty-Mile was a mining camp before the Klon- 
dike was discovered. Some claim it was the 
original mining camp in the Yukon territory. 

Just after leaving Forty-Mile, we came upon a 
curious freak of Nature, called the "Old Man and 
Woman." These personages are rocks about one 
hundred feet apart on either bank and directly op- 
posite each other, with the swift-flowing Yukon be- 
tween. One is concave and the other correspond- 
ingly convex. The strata of the rock and colors 
match exactly, showing undoubtedly that they once 
were one — united in the bonds of matrimony, but 
that some terrible trouble, caused perhaps by an 
interfering earthquake, came between them, result- 
ing in a separation forever. 

At midnight we landed at Eagle on the Canadian 



78 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

and Alaskan boundry. Here is the custom house 
and the United States post, Fort Egbert. 

We were kept here till six the next morning by 
the custom house officers examining freight and 
baggage. 

As we sailed away in the early morning we were 
again in Uncle Sam's territory. 

The crisp air and beauty of the scenery so fas- 
cinated me that, after retiring at two a. m., I again 
found myself on deck at four, unable to sleep longer. 

A "Yukoner" had told me that the boat's whistle 
was the signal for swarms of mosquitos and gnats to 
come down and greet the passengers at the landing ; 
but, although I had come prepared with a most 
voluminous net for the protection of my head, it 
seemed to be an off season for these blood-thirsty 
pests, and we were most mercifully spared their at- 
tentions all the way to Nome. Several attempts, 
however, to explore the woods back of the landings 
stirred up such a swarm that we beat a hasty retreat 
to our vessel. 

The boat's whistle did attract other hungry 
creatures — the dogs. It was amusing to see them 
plant themselves on the exact spot where experience 
or reason made them know they should be opposite 
the kitchen windows when (jthe boat had finally 
landed. They seldom made a mistake in their 
calculations. 

Just below Eagle we passed Calico Rock, the 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 79 

greatest curiosity on the Yukon River. It stood 
alone, turning toward us a flat, perpendicular face, 
rising from the water's edge. This flat surface 
looked as though especially prepared by some lapi- 
dary to show to the traveler the beautiful arrange- 
ment of its strata and colors. 

Nation was the next landing, or "station," as 
they are called on the Yukon. Here were three or 
four log houses, and, confined in a corral, one hun- 
dred dogs, used in the winter for carrying the mail 
up and down the frozen waterways. 

At four in the afternoon we made a short stop 
at Circle, which some claim to be the spot where the 
original discovery of gold in Alaska was made. 

When the miners there and at Eagle heard of 
the Klondike discovery, they fairly dropped their 
picks and shovels while in the air, as it were, and 
hastened off to join the stampede to Dawson. 

Traveling on the Yukon is rather slow work. 
From Dawson to the mouth, there is a fall of only 
a foot a mile. The current is about five miles an 
hour, and our "Sarah" only made about fifteen miles 
in the same time. We had ample time to thoroughly 
study and enjoy every feature of this wonderful 
trip, so different from every previous experience 
that I seemed to be in a foreign land. How wonder- 
fully clear everything was, and how distinct the out- 
line of mountain, cliff and forest. 



80 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

Even at midnight when we made a stop at Fort 
Yukon, the passengers went ashore in the lingering 
daylight and gathered flowers to send home in 
letters to their friends. 

If we had been here a month earlier we might 
have seen the midnight sun. 

We posted our letters at the Fort Yukon post- 
office. This place is six miles north of the Arctic 
Circle, and we wished to correct in the minds of our 
friends the "geography idea" of the "Frigid Zone 
being a place of mosses, lichens and stunted trees." 
When I saw this northern tundra it was "blossom- 
ing like the rose." 

Indeed, its flora was of great beauty and abun- 
dance. The flowery fields were like gorgeous 
bouquets. 

Innumerable varieties bloom together in one 
mass. A botanist of our party counted thirty-two 
varieties in a radius of a hundred feet. The most 
abundant and showy flower is the fire-weed, which 
has a more purple tint than at home. It covers the 
earth with a mass of color most attractive to the eye. 

We saw it growing all along the river, where 
fires had cleared off other vegetation. It takes im- 
mediate possession after the fires have swept the 
ground clear, and some say it grows there because 
it has no opposition and is too cowardly to fight for 
its existence where there is competition. The rea- 
son for its wide distribution is that it produces seeds 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 81 

innumerable, each furnished with a parachute of 
long silken threads, which carry it on the wings of 
the wind far and wide. So it gets there first and 
takes possession. 

I may say here that our letters were one month 
in reaching home from Fort Yukon. 

When we left Circle, our "Sarah" had been 
given in charge of a special Indian pilot. One is 
always engaged to steer between Circle and Fort 
Yukon, a distance of eighty miles, where the Yukon 
Flats make the channel most treacherous. The 
Indian seems to have an unerring instinct which 
tells him where the dangerous places are and helps 
him avoid them. 

We had taken on green cord wood below Circle, 
and our progress as long as it lasted was at a 
funeral pace. 

On July the twenty-sixth we awoke to find our 
boat tied up at Tananah, a small town at the mouth 
of a creek of the same name. Its only importance 
is that here is the supply point for Fairbanks, the 
newest mining camp in Alaska, situated two hun- 
dred and twenty-five miles up the creek. 

The excitement was still "on," and I should have 
liked to made the place a visit. General Greely left 
us here for that purpose, but time not permitting me 
to do so, I contented myself with gathering accounts 
of it from the "temporary natives" of Tananah. 

It seems that the first rush to Fairbanks was the 



82 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

result of an unadulterated "fake." A man named 
Burnett and his partner went there with a stock of 
merchandise, expecting to trade with the Indians for 
furs. Indians were scarce, furs scarce, and the out- 
look for disposing of their goods hopeless. Some- 
thing must be done to g^t them out of this hole; 
so putting their heads together and taking a Japan- 
ese gentleman into their confidence, they concocted 
a plan to save themselves from ruin by ruining 
others. 

The Japanese appeared in Dawson with a bag 
of gold dust. He related to several persons his great 
discovery in Fairbanks, in strict confidence, of 
course. 

Rumor, that greatest of all liars, did the rest. 
The wily Jap disappeared, dust and all, and was 
never heard of after. The news he left behind him 
spread like wild fire, and shortly a thousand people 
"stampeded" to Fairbanks. 

They soon discovered the trickery, of course, and 
it was well for the Jap that he had placed miles be- 
tween himself and their clutches. Suspicion fell on 
Burnett after a time, and the place became too warm 
for him, so he disappeared, not returning for a year. 

With nothing else to do the men began to dig, 
and to such good purpose that gold was discovered 
in reality. This brought on another stampede, and 
today Fairbanks is called the largest log cabin town 
in the world. The population is variously estimated 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 83 

at from four to ten thousand. Men who had been 
there, however, told me they doubted if the gold was 
there in sufficient quantity to justify the large popu- 
lation. However this may be, I saw three men 
stagger up our stairway under the weight of several 
boxes containing eighty-five thousand dollars' worth 
of gold dust, which they had just brought down 
from Fairbanks on the steamer "Rock Island." 
They stowed these boxes in their cabin, and by so 
doing saved the expense of freight and insurance, 
a sum of $2,762.50 — one-quarter per cent for 
freight and three per cent for insurance from Nome 
to Seattle. They ran risks, however, as every man, 
woman and child on board knew of the gold. Cases 
of robbery by boring up through the floor and box, 
thus letting the dust run out, have been known. 
Later when our steamer from Nome to Seattle ran 
aground on a sand bar off Nunivok Island, and was 
in danger of being dashed to pieces, if a wind had 
sprung up during the two hours before she was 
released, they, no doubt, regretted that it had not 
been expressed and insured. 

Several daring highway robberies — a new fea- 
ture in Alaska — have occurred near Fairbanks 
lately. Evidently civilization is advancing into the 
territory with our law courts, etc. However, the 
old spirit of self-protection has not entirely died 
out, for I heard several men say if these "holdups" 
were caught it would be a "cinch" that in a few 
hours nothing would be left of them but "relics." 



84 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

We lay at Tananah twenty-four hours, while 
the "Sarah" unloaded railroad ties billed for the 
vicinity of Fairbanks. They were to be used in a 
railroad being built southward to meet one in con- 
struction from Seward, near Valdez, northward. 
Four thousand men were working on this road dur- 
ing the summer, and in a distance of three hundred 
and fifty miles as many iron bridges had been con- 
structed. The expense must be very heavy, but it 
will certainly pay, as back of Valdez are located 
some quartz mines, containing a variety of minerals, 
including gold, iron, copper and coal, for which 
transportation to the port, Seward City, is thus 
provided. 

Adjoining Tananah is Fort Gibbon, another 
United States post, where there is a telegraph office 
and wireless station. I was present when a gentle- 
man sent a ten-word message to Nome, for which 
the price was one dollar and forty cents. In ex- 
change for two dollar bill he received fifty cents, the 
operator telling him that quarters were the smallest 
coins in circulation. Imagine a number of tele- 
grams sent with short change, as in this case, and 
possibly the word "graft" will suggest itself. 

"Graft" is a disease something akin to "gold 
fever." I heard a deputy U. S. marshal deploring 
the fact that the only graft in his position was "mile- 
age allowed" and "mileage spent." 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 85 

This deputy was an interesting man when he 
began relating his experiences. 

He was once called upon to take charge of a 
lunatic going to Portland. His prisoner was a man 
of education and good family, who had lost his mind 
in his solitary life as a prospector. On the way he 
seemed to take a new interest in things around him, 
and when they neared their destination, and the poor 
fellow saw signs of civilization all about him, he be- 
came quiet and seemed changing for the better. On 
reaching Portland he suddenly asked, "How long 
have I been crazy ?" His mind had been completely 
restored by his return to the familiar scenes of 
civilization. 

The isolation from friends and familiar scenes 
drives many a poor prospector from melancholia to 
insanity, but strange to relate, there are among 
them but few suicides. 

In the face of these stories, a "sour dough" pres- 
ent remarks, "Well, I'm never so happy as when 
alone in the mountains prospecting." 



CHAPTER XL 

On board the "Sarah" were some very interest- 
ing characters. I was greatly pleased to find that 
I was to have for companions for the rest of my trip 
to Seattle three gentlemen whom I had found very 
"good fellows" while in Dawson. They were all 
bachelors and travelers like myself, and their society 
added much to the pleasure of the journey. 

Mr. B. was a merchant from Texas, had traveled 
much at home and also abroad, and was not born 
yesterday. He meant to see much more of this 
world before called to the next. Mr. M. was his 
friend and companion, also from Texas, where he 
had been president of two railroads, and was then 
in the real estate business. He was well up in 
science and religion, and a stubborn opponent in 
an argument; a point had to be most thoroughly 
proved to convince him. 

On the scientific side he was rather a bore. It 
is a useful thing to have a geologist and mineralo- 
gist with a party traveling in a mining country, but 
brother M. rode his hobby too hard at times, espec- 
ially on the sentimental side. His reference to the 
"gigantic workings of Nature years and years ago, 
etc.," after a time did not interrupt the trend of one's 
thoughts — we got used to it. 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 87 

He was a good man, used neither tobacco, alco- 
hol or profanity, and was not in his first youth, 
either. 

The third gentleman was a Mr. J., a typical 
New England yankee, from "twenty-nine miles west 
of Detroit," "had been raised on a farm and was 
sixty years old." He had laid aside three thousand 
dollars with which to see what he could of the 
United States in a year. He proposed to spend his 
well-earned rest in seeing his own country. 

He was a Baptist when at home, had great con- 
fidence in his fellowmen, and was a thorough all- 
around optimist. 

The two great events of his life were, first, when 
he was waylaid and robbed of nearly six hundred 
dollars, which was recovered and returned to him 
when the robber was caught, and, second, when he 
tried to take a fall out of a bull. The last he at- 
tempted to do by seizing the animal by the horns. 
He did not count on the superior strength of the bull, 
however, which took the "fall" out of him instead, 
and left him with several broken bones, fortunately 
sparing his life. 

The above thrilling incidents he related with 
the becoming modesty of a hero. 

He "dressed to suit no one but himself," and 
when an opportunity came for any side trip to see 
some place of interest, never let a ten dollar bill 
stand in his way. 



88 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

He was as full of good traits as an egg is of 
meat, and thoroughly enjoyed everything he saw. 
If I happened on deck at any hour of the night, there 
would be the "Deacon," looking at the scenery. I 
asked him what excuse he had for being up at that 
hour losing good sleep. He replied, "I can get all 
the sleep I want down in Michigan, but this kind of 
scenery may never come my way again, so I'm mak- 
ing the most of it." 

Another passenger of note was Dr. J., of Indi- 
ana, who was president of De Pauw University 
when Senator Beveridge was a student there. He 
was very proud of the boy, who, while at college, 
showed indications of his future success. One day 
the future Senator came to the Doctor begging to 
be excused from mathematics on the plea that he 
could make no headway and was discouraged. This 
request was granted. In all linguistic studies he 
excelled. In oratory he took first prize always, and 
as money was awarded as prizes, these sums helped 
him to work his way through college. 

In one oratorical contest between the Jackson- 
ville, Illinois, and De Pauw colleges, William Jen- 
nings Bryan represented the former and Beveridge 
the latter. The prize went to Beveridge. He has 
since learned enough about mathematics to count up 
good sized bills for his legal services. 

Another gentleman who occupied the stateroom 
next to mine set us all guessing. There was an air 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 89 

of reserve and mystery about him. He had been 
with us all the way from Dawson and had kept his 
identity from us in a most studied manner. 

He was unusually well informed and never de- 
nied you the pleasure of his conversation, should 
you address him. He had traveled much and spoke 
in praise of his treatment by Russian officials, while 
in their country. 

Major F. had joined us at Tananah and, wishing 
him to meet this mysterious person, I said, "Mr. — 
Mr. — Excuse me, but I can't think of your name, 
this is Major F." 

"It makes no difference about my name," he 
replied, "the Major would soon forget it; but, 
Major, I am glad to meet you just the same." This 
relieved the momentary embarrassment, and we 
were soon laughing together over some good stories. 
Their discussion of the Russo-Japanese War was 
most interesting to me, as it was from a military 
man's standpoint. 

Our curiosity was satisfied later, when during a 
discussion of the death of Secretary Hay, our name- 
less friend fished out a letter from among some 
papers in his suit case which proved to be a letter 
of introduction from the Secretary to foreign diplo- 
mats and United States consuls. It stated that the 
bearer was Captain B., an attorney from, New York 
City. Thus the mystery was cleared. He got his 
title of "captain" in the Cuban War, where he went 



90 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

bravely to the front — as far as Chattanooga — and 
after hostilities had ceased, received an honorable 
discharge. 

The "Captain" was a rara avis, and often was 
the center of a group where interesting subjects 
were being discussed intelligently and well. We 
discovered that he also was a bachelor and sight- 
seeing his hobby. "Yes," he said, "I have tried 
traveling with companions, but it was never a suc- 
cess. I once took my mother and sister on a trip. 
Why, I lost more than half of my time waiting for 
them to get ready. I have come to believe in the 
little couplet which says, 

'Down to Gehenna or up to the throne, 
He travels the fastest who travels alone.' " 

He was characterized by short, sharp, quick and 
very decided opinions, a habit probably contracted 
in the army, and often emphasized them by a touch 
of profanity. 

As he came from New York, people naturally 
asked his opinion of the Nan Patterson trial, then 
attracting attention. 

"Not the slightest proof of her guilt. Everyone 
knows that pistols go off mysteriously sometimes 
without anyone touching them, and occasionally 
even when 'not loaded/ 

"Attorney Jerome knows he can't convict her, 
but he also knows he has bad people to deal with, 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 91 

and his whole object is to create a moral effect, in 
the hope of putting a stop to some of the wicked de- 
vices used by some women in New York for black- 
mailing men." 

"Possibly you are right," said some one. 

"Why, every one knows I am right," was his 
characteristic reply. 

He pronounced Captain Slocum, whose voyage 
around the world alone, on his thirty-foot yacht, 
the "Spray," gave him great notoriety some few 
years ago, as the blank, blankedest, blank fool that 
ever lived. He took one chance in a thousand, and, 
as it happened, came through alive. How he did so 
Providence only can tell. 

The "Deacon" seemed much impressed by this 
positive gentleman's learning. One day when Dr. 
J. and I were together, he approached and said, 
"That man B. knows the tonnage, gross and net, 
of every steamer on salt water, and has just in- 
formed me that the bottom of the sea has been so 
thoroughly surveyed that every mountain and valley 
are known as well as those on land. I believe he 
knows more than any two men on board." "Yes," 
answered Dr. J., "I am of the opinion that when he 
was made they threw the mold away." 

I afterward told the "Deacon" that Dr. J. was 
a learned scholar himself, and he might have modi- 
fied his remarks by saying "present company ex- 



92 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

cepted." "Well," said he, "I might have said some- 
thing else, but I meant just what I did say." 

The "Captain" accompanied us as far as Nome. 
There the placer mines on the beach proved such an 
attraction that he could not tear himself away, and 
concluded to wait over for a later steamer, the 
"Victoria," which he said had the inducement of a 
good library. "I can devour two books a day when 
there is nothing else to do," said he, and that was 
the last we saw of him. 

Another single gentleman who filled an impor- 
tant role in this combination of interesting char- 
acters was a Mr. B., of Buffalo. He was tall, with 
a portly figure, and so deliberate and dignified that 
we dubbed him the "Governor." He had attached 
himself to General Greely's party, and it was not 
till the General left us for the side trip to Fairbanks 
that he became democratic, and we got to know his 
interesting ways. In contrast to the "Captain," his 
wish seemed to be to have people know about him. 
He had an amusing habit, when introduced to a lady 
of informing her on the spot that he was a bachelor. 
When it was a gentleman who was presented to him 
he was made acquainted with the fact that the "Gov- 
ernor's" father had been the first president of the 
New York Central Railroad. After these confi- 
dences he seemed to feel that neither sex could mis- 
understand him. He had been brought up in the 
lap of luxury, and was now living on his inheritance, 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 93 

both financial and social. As he promenaded the 
deck with chest out and thumbs in arm holes, he 
would step up to someone, swell up and in a deliber- 
ate, impressive tone say, "I-would-like-to-ask-you-a 
question." On being told you were at his service, 
he would say, "I-would-a-like-to-ask-you-a-the-time- 
of day." 

On hearing several wild Yukon tales, he an- 
nounced his intention of making a note of them to 
retail to his fellow-townsmen on his return. "For," 
said he, "I do not suppose anyone from western New 
York has ever been on the Yukon, so I can safely 
repeat these, and they will believe them." 



CHAPTER XII. 

At five in the morning on the twenty-eighth of 
July, our boat whistled for Nulato. The popula- 
tion was there to meet us. It consisted principally 
of Indians and their only visible means of livelihood 
was the fish hung out everywhere to dry, out of 
reach of the dogs. 

To insure additional safety, these cunning 
thieves were all tied, and their continual howling 
was the only thing that gave life to the place. 

One passenger went ashore to stretch his legs, 
but soon beat a hasty retreat when his nostrils met 
the terrible odor of the place — a combination of 
fish, dog and native. 

We were not sorry to move on again. 

As we proceeded, all the enthusiasm aroused by 
the fine scenery was necessary to create warmth. 
At times the chilliness overcame the enthusiasm and 
crept into our bones. Then a spell in the steam- 
heated cabin would be indulged in, to thaw out the 
frost. When the blood began flowing warm, every- 
one would be out again, loth to miss any of the pass- 
ing wonders. The changing panorama of pictur- 
esque mountains, rising higher and higher, till their 
faint outlines, blending with the sky, seemed as if 
they were stepping stones to heaven. The air was 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 95 

wonderfully clear, even at night no mists or fogs 
being visible. The night, however, was never dark, 
and what may seem strange, lit by no stars, even 
at midnight. But if invisible during the summer 
season, those who live here in winter have every op- 
portunity to go star-gazing, for they are then visible 
most of the time. 

At Koserufski we visited the Holy Cross Mis- 
sion, and were shown the prize garden of Alaska. 
It is the result partly of favorable atmospheric con- 
ditions, but more of the skill and attention bestowed 
by the sisters of the mission. 

Even in this far-off corner one sees signs of the 
world's great octopus — the Standard Oil Company. 
One of its many arms is on the Yukon, and at An- 
dreofski our eyes were greeted by a mammoth oil 
tank, which supplies fuel to steamers plying on the 
river. 

Opposite Andreof ski, and sheltered by an island, 
was a fleet of seven idle vessels fast going to ruin. 
They were formerly in use when the Klondike rush 
was on. The machinery was worn and rusty, still 
it seemed strange to thus abandon valuable property. 
Possibly the long journey to Seattle, where they 
might have been sold was more than the owners 
could afford. 

The Northern Commercial Company seems, to 
have a monopoly of the Alaskan trade at present, 



96 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

but one hears various opinions as to whether it is 
making money or not. 

The stock is owned by San Francisco Jews, and 
it has a line of large steamers running to Nome, and 
stores of large capacity in different parts of Alaska. 

A remnant of the Russian influence is still seen 
in their missions. We passed them here and there. 
A red Greek church, with dwellings clustered 
around it, was seen shortly after leaving Andreof- 
ski. For some reason, our boat failed to stop, al- 
though the schedule stated there was a postoffice 
there, and our boat was supposed to call for the mail. 

The " Deacon" became much excited about what 
he considered "neglect of duty," made a note of it 
and announced his intention of reporting the matter 
to the Postoffice Department through the Congress- 
man from his district. 

After a week's sail down this noble river, we at 
last found ourselves nearing its great delta. Ac- 
cording to our guide book the water reaches Behring 
Sea through forty mouths. Here the mountains 
had disappeared and flats were around us. 

Before entering the "forty mouths" we were 
obliged to tie up for two hours to await the incoming 
tide. 

At seven the next morning, when I rolled off the 
shelf of my stateroom, we were almost through that 
particular one of the "forty mouths" which led to 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 97 

the sea, without having experienced any unusual 
thrill or excitement. No one had tried to count the 
mouths, we simply took the guide book's word for 
the number. As we neared the outlet, the distance 
between banks widened to probably five or ten miles. 

The great river brings down so much silt that 
the muddy effect is easily perceptible ten miles out 
from shore, where the water continues quite 
shallow. Sandbars form as far south as Nunivok 
Island, and only a flat-bottomed boat can be used 
near the shore. These bars are quite a menace to 
vessels, which often run aground on them. 

Our "Sarah" had more of the tortoise than the 
hare about her, and was rather a trial to our band 
of typical Americans. Someone was always ask- 
ing, "When shall we reach Nulato?" or "How long 
before our next stop?" till a quiet gentleman felt 
moved to remark, "If Americans were traveling on 
a streak of lightning, someone would want to whip 
up.' 



CHAPTER XIII. 

At ten in the morning we anchored a mile from 
the shore of St. Michaels, which is one hundred and 
six miles beyond the mouth of the Yukon. Here 
we were to change to the steamer bound for Nome. 
St. Michaels is an island, to which we were conveyed 
by a tug, the extreme shallowness of the water pre- 
venting a nearer approach of our vessel. On the 
island is a United States military post and wireless 
telegraph station. The usual Indian village and 
Greek church were in evidence, and an old Russian 
block house attracted our interest. It contained 
seven small cannons, probably a remnant of the for- 
mer Russian occupation. It is circular in shape, 
built of logs and is eighteen feet in height and ten in 
diameter. Although so small, it was probably a 
good protection against the Indians one hundred 
years ago. 

It was here that I first saw that peculiar Eskimo 
garment called the "parka," and the canoe, called 
the "kyak." 

The former is a simple garment, made to slip 
over the head, and resembles in cut the smock frock 
of the English laborer. It is made either of fur, 
skin or the entrails of the seal. The last-named 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 99 

material, being thin, is used for summer dresses, 
which are light and at the same time water-proof. 

Each parka has a hood made to draw over the 
head, when needed for warmth or protection from 
rain. 

The parka, however interesting, we were con- 
tent to examine at a distance, and no one asked an 
Eskimo to sell his as a souvenir ; their dirty appear- 
ance made us feel certain that each parka clothed 
more than the Eskimo. 

The kyak, called also the Eskimo skin-boat, is 
made of skins sewed together and stretched over a 
frame, leaving only a small circular hole in the 
center, into which the Eskimo climbs and sits on 
the bottom, his head and arms only being outside. 
These boats are so light that they are as unsteady 
as egg shells. No one but an Eskimo could keep 
one in equilibrium, especially in rough weather. 

This faculty for keeping his balance must have 
been developed by long generations of training, and 
belongs to these people singly or en masse, for occa- 
sionally the kyak is made to carry several persons 
packed in under the covering of skin, while one sits 
up and paddles. So perfect a balance is kept by all 
that no upsets are ever known. How the passen- 
gers breathe is a mystery, for the man at the paddle 
fills up the only opening there is. 

After two hours spent at St. Michaels, we were 
towed out to the steamer "Cor win," which had 

LOFC. 



100 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

meanwhile arrived. The water was rough, and we 
climbed up her rope companion-way in fear and 
trembling, thankful when the solid boards of the 
deck were beneath our feet. 

A delay in starting was caused by a man who 
rowed out from shore to see if his wife was aboard. 

It seems that the couple had been living at Fair- 
banks. He beat her, was arrested and fined for it. 
She was supposed to be running away from him. 

We all wondered what he would have done had 
he found her on our boat. It was well he did not, 
for every man and boy from the captain down was 
ready to take a hand in throwing him overboard had 
he attempted any abuse in case she were among us. 
On the dock at Nome a few days later I saw him 
again, scrutinizing the face of every woman he met, 
in his search for his wife. The wife, whoever she 
was, had my sympathy, and I hope she escaped, al- 
though I heard nothing of him after. 

After a week on the "Sarah," the change of 
cooking was welcome. Our kitchen brigade was 
composed entirely of Chinamen. 

The "Corwin" was a staunch little vessel, and 
had once been a cruiser. Captain West, who com- 
manded her, was an able seaman, a handsome man, 
and, if such a thing were possible, seemed to be 
burdened with good health. Eskimos were doing 
service as roustebouts, but were provokingly slow 
in their movements, especially at the fire drills. 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 101 

These drills occurred every afternoon, and kept 
the possibility of a fire constantly in our minds, and 
made us feel thankful that we were experiencing 
only an imaginary fire. 

After passing a high promontory called Cape 
Darby we entered Golvin Bay and anchored in deep 
water a mile out from the shore of Government 
Mission, where a herd of two thousand reindeer is 
located. 

A small boat took the mail ashore, but the dis- 
tance was too great for us to distinguish the deer. 
I regretted missing an opportunity of seeing these 
animals, which bid fair to be as useful here as in 
their native land. 

The caribou, or American reindeer, is only 
found in the wild state, and has been almost exter- 
minated by hunters. The Government is now en- 
couraging the breeding of the domestic variety of 
Eurasia, and for this purpose has imported herds 
of them with their keepers, into various parts of 
Alaska. The natives are thus taught to care for 
the animals properly, and then the Government 
lends a herd to any native known to be trustworthy 
for a certain length of time. At the end of this 
period the original herd is returned to the Govern- 
ment, the native keeping the increase. 

The experiment of turning loose a herd on one of 
the small Alaskan islands has proved a success, and 
it is proposed eventually to stock all of the islands 



102 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

thus, so that in case of a shipwreck they may prove 
the means of saving the lives of any who may by 
cast away on these shores. 

The reindeer travels from fifty to one hundred 
miles a day, and hustles for his own food, which is 
a kind of lichen called "reindeer moss." As a beast 
of burden he is a great improvement on the dog, the 
food for which must be provided by his master. 

At present there are eight thousand reindeer in 
Alaska, one-half of which belong to the natives, and 
the other half to the Government. 

They multiply rapidly, and an enthusiast has 
estimated that under certain conditions Alaska 
could be so thoroughly stocked with them that the 
whole United States could be supplied with reindeer 
hams and smoked tongues from them. 

To the butcher the reindeer is worth fifty dollars, 
and as a sledge animal his value is one hundred and 
fifty dollars. 

It was almost noon when the "Corwin" dropped 
anchor two miles out from the coast of Nome, and 
we were tugged ashore. The town, like others in 
Alaska, has a transient population, at present ap- 
proximating three thousand. 

It rambles along the beach for five miles, only 
two of which are of solid construction. The build- 
ings are of frame. It is built on a narrow strip be- 
tween the gold-bearing sand of the shore, and the 
marsh of the tundra, stretching back of it for miles 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 103 

into the interior. The town has progressed so far 
in the establishment of law and order that dance 
houses are no longer allowed, and gambling is 
restricted. The atmosphere of the place is quiet and 
orderly. 

Originally the entire beach was a placer mine 
from end to end; not a shovelfull of its sand was 
without its proportion of gold dust. Mining has 
been done successfully in water close to shore. On 
the beach now, and within the city limits, there are 
three mines being operated; two of them with 
steam shovels, the third by hand. 

The Sand Spit near Nome is a favorite place for 
the Siberian Eskimos to pitch their tents, when the 
summer season brings them across with the sou- 
venirs, which they hope to sell to tourists. Here 
we saw the seal skin hanging out to dry. In the 
crude state it is grey with black spots, but after 
being sent to London, dyed and returned to us it is 
quite a different fur. 

Dried fish and walrus hides filled with water are 
a part of the Eskimo's provision against hunger and 
thirst. 

The Siberian Eskimo is a good barometer. He 
has an infallible instinct for judging atmospheric 
changes, and as a weather prophet his predictions 
are most reliable. When he is late in coming over 
in the spring it is sure that summer will be a tardy 
arrival. 




104 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

He does not take any chances on stormy weather 
when he starts on a journey of several hundred 
miles in his frail canoe. 

I met by letter of introduction, Mr. W. S., who 
has been in Nome for seven years. He has had his 
share of prosperity, but was in possession of so 
many claims that keeping them good required a 
large yearly outlay. 

In this "good dirt" he sees wonderful possibili- 
ties for future wealth. But the realization of these 
hopes may keep him in Nome for many years to 
come. 

I learned much from Mr. S., and when I said 
good-night, it was with the understanding that he 
would join us in the morning for a trip to the end 
of the Nome and Arctic Narrow Gauge Railroad. 

Mr. S. lives in bachelor quarters and can't be 
beat as a housekeeper. 

Our party of six started at seven the next morn- 
ing for the trip mentioned above. We went through 
Anvil Creek and Nome Valley, a distance of four- 
teen miles. 

The mine, with the most interesting and roman- 
tic history, is known as "Brown's Discovery/' on 
Little Creek about one mile from Nome, and just 
below Moonlight Springs, from which the city gets 
its supply of drinking water. 

There are several versions of the troubles of this 
mine. It was discovered in 1904. After digging 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 105 

down a considerable depth the three men working 
it became discouraged. Two wished to quit, but 
the third wished to try it "just one more day." 

The first pan on that day produced fifty cents, 
the next three an increase, and the fifth yielded 
eighteen hundred dollars. It was a great find, for 
in ninety days eight hundred thousand dollars was 
taken out. 

Then came claimants showing prior claims. 
Brown, dreading litigation, bought them ofT at the 
rate of ten to twenty thousand dollars each, and 
thought his troubles over, but later the Pioneer Min- 
ing Company brought suit. The case is now in the 
courts, and it is the general opinion there that the 
company has a good case, and "Brown is up against 
it." Other rich mines in this vicinity are in litiga- 
tion, and it is probably part of the great swindle, 
hiding under the wing of the law, that Rex Beach 
so ably describes in a recent number of McClure's 
Magazine. 

Another case in the courts which has some in- 
teresting developments is the Midus Case. Two 
men salted some mines and on false representations 
realized many thousands of dollars. 

Then the older man was missing and the 
younger is now in jail awaiting trial. There is 
difficulty finding a law to fit the case, and it is pos- 
sible that "obtaining money on false pretenses" is 



106 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

the strongest charge that can be made against him, 
although many suspect him of his partner's murder. 

Fortune is many times within the grasp of a gold 
seeker, and he loses it by not holding on long 
enough. The case of a young physician who was 
known to me was one of these. He went to Nome 
in 1900, took a claim and dug down eight feet with- 
out reaching pay dirt. He had left a young wife 
and child at home and thoughts of these outweighed 
his love of gold. He became discouraged and home- 
sick, abandoned his claim and left for the "outside." 
Shortly after another man jumped into the eight- 
foot hole, made it ten feet deeper and took out thirty- 
eight thousand dollars. 

The railroad by which we reached these places 
was a primitive affair, and the track the crookedest 
I ever saw. 

Being laid on the soft mud of the tundra, it has 
no solid foundation, and the rails bend in all direc- 
tions. When a 'car gets off the track there is no 
time wasted. All hands reach for jack screw, frogs 
and crowbar, and you are soon going forward again, 
ready for another accident. 

The passenger coach was open on all sides, but 
with a canopy, the purpose of which I could not 
discover. The seats were arranged in the mutual- 
admiration style, and you could gaze at your oppo- 
site neighbor if she or he pleased you better than the 
scenery. 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 107 

The ride took us through Anvil Creek, Little 
Creek, Portland Bench, Dexter Creek and the Nome 
River Valley. The last afforded a most beautiful 
and grand view, with the Saw-Tooth Mountains, 
a spur of the Rockies, in the distance. 

If any of my readers would like to try his luck 
at Nome, Mr. S. will furnish a claim for him to 
work, and allow him fifty per cent of all the gold he 
unearths, making no charge whatever for the dig- 
ging if he is not successful. 

Owners of mines are anxious to sell outright, 
but capital is timid, and while waiting for pur- 
chasers they must pay one hundred dollars per an- 
num for work on each claim to keep it good. Other- 
wise it would be sacrificed to the ever-watchful 
claim jumpers. 

Claims may be bought as low as one hundred 
dollars each. You take a chance when you buy, 
but you have as good an opportunity as the next 
man, and may make a fortune for the small amount 
you risk. 

Mine owners are often land poor. There are 
twenty thousand claims staked out in the Nome dis- 
trict and only five hundred are being worked. 

The naming of Nome was an accident. A party 
of surveyors were putting stakes in the ground 
where names were wanted. The one at Nome was 
marked "Name," which meant "Give it a name." 
The "a" in "Name" became blurred and looked like 



108 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

an "o," hence that was thought to be the name in- 
tended, and so remained. 

The water on the coast of Nome is too shallow 
to admit of any kind of steamer landing. Every 
passenger and all freight must be loaded on lighters, 
pulled to shore, a distance of two miles, by tugs, 
and then unloaded on the shore. 

The Government has made an appropriation for 
a deep-water harbor, and work is already begun. 

An Alaskan newspaper stated that a company 
was being organized to tunnel under Behring Strait 
for a railroad to Siberia — rather a wild statement 
I should say, as it was estimated that the cost 
would be a quarter of a billion, and would take five 
years to complete. Dividends are too far off and 
uncertain to recommend a project like the above to 
business men, so probably the report emanated from 
some "Yukoner," who likes to speculate in billions, 
in his mind. 

There is not a stick of timber within hundreds 
of miles of Nome. All lumber is shipped from 
Seattle. 

President Roosevelt's popularity exists all 
through Alaska, and the people wish he would visit 
their land and give it a boom. This will never be 
while he is in office, as he cannot reach there with- 
out going out of the United States, a thing forbid- 
den to our President by an unwritten law. 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 109 

Nome is over five thousand eight hundred miles 
from Cincinnati, and has standard time five hours 
slower. 

The winter winds there are fiercely cold and 
cutting, the thermometer often dropping to sixty or 
even seventy degrees below. 

The same temperature prevails at Dawson, but 
the air there is so dry that winter weather is much 
more enjoyable, although only two or three hours 
of daylight each day break the long winter night. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

My journey homeward began on August second. 
One hundred and forty-six passengers embarked at 
Nome for Seattle on the steamer "Senator," trust- 
ing their lives to Captain Lloyd, a hardy old Nor- 
wegian, whose seventy-eight years did not seem to 
have diminished his usefulness. 

I had heard of the proverbial roughness of Beh- 
ring Sea, and the dangers off Cape Flattery when 
entering the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and felt some 
misgivings concerning the voyage before me. With 
the exception of one day when there was a heavy 
swell, and a second during which it was so rough 
as to necessitate racks on the dining table, the trip 
was smooth and pleasant. One passenger had made 
the voyage eleven times, and said this was the 
smoothest of them all. 

The roughest bit of sea was the two miles we 
experienced while in the lighter going from the 
dock at Nome to our vessel anchored in deep water. 
The lighter was loaded with trunks, suit cases and 
luggage of all kinds, some dogs and a variety of 
people. There was considerable risk attending our 
embarkation, as the lighter was never still a 
moment. On the way out we floated gayly on the 
waves, which were rough, and before the two miles 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. Ill 

were covered several became seasick. I was, for- 
tunately, not of the number, and enjoyed the novel 
experience to the utmost, missing none of the inter- 
esting details. On reaching the ship it was sur- 
prising that the transfer was made with only one 
accident. How the people managed to get aboard 
from the rough rocking lighter was a wonder to 
me. It was a difficult feat to clamber up the com- 
panion-way with only a rope balustrade to steady 
one. Even the man with the crushed foot and two 
old ladies, so feeble and sick that stalwart arms per- 
formed the difficult task of getting them on board, 
were landed on deck in safety. Then the rebellious 
dogs, showing every sign of fear at the unsteady 
footing, were lifted bodily, and all of us were about 
to give a sigh of relief that the embarkation had been 
accomplished without accident, when suddenly a 
splash and shout attracted the attention of some and 
we realized that one of our number had fallen into 
the water. As he came to the surface many hands 
seized him and pulled him aboard. It was noticed 
that he still held his cigarette in his mouth, and 
when he stood dripping, but safe, on the deck he 
remarked that he didn't mind the wetting so much 
as he did having his cigarette put out. 

On the second day out we had the only adventure 
of our homeward voyage. As sometimes happens, 
we encountered a fog and ran aground on a sand 
bar not far from Nunivok Island. Our imprison- 



112 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

ment might have lasted for days and have been very 
dangerous in the event of a strong wind springing 
up, in which case we stood the chance of having the 
vessel put out of commission and ourselves into 
eternity. But the elements favored us and we were 
off in two hours, thanking Providence for the happy 
escape from a watery grave with none to tell the 
tale. After it was all over, and our vessel well on 
her way again, people began to tell each other of 
their fears while on the bar, but during the two 
hours of suspense no one betrayed any signs of 
distress. 

During the voyage much time was given to 
story-telling and many games of poker whiled away 
the hours for the many gamblers aboard. Games 
of chance formed the chief topic of conversation in 
the smoking room, where each man discoursed about 
his particular system for beating at faro, that most 
fascinating of all games to the regular gambler. 

There was one "wise guy" in the crowd, who 
claimed that he had the only "sure" system of win- 
ning. He said, "First, take a good sleep at home, 
then go to the gambling room; take a little drink 
of their wine, eat sparingly of their free lunch, rest 
a minute on the lounge and — then go home." 

On passing through Unimack Pass we left Beh- 
ring Sea and entered the great Pacific. There was 
considerable fog when we made this change of 
waters, but enough could be seen of the snow-capped 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 113 

mountains to show that they were volcanoes, dead or 
sleeping. 

The one rough day was an experience I would 
not have missed for a good deal. I did not realize 
the roughness till I went to the breakfast table and 
saw the nice little contrivances for keeping your 
meal together. The racks were screwed to the 
table and kept the dishes from sliding over the edge. 

My first thought was that it would be a good day 
to diet, but on second thought I recalled that I was 
out for new experiences, and here was a chance for 
one. I reached my seat without attracting any 
especial attention, I believe, though not quite sure 
about it. 

The waiter said something. "Yes," I replied, 
and he brought a cereal and condensed milk. I 
reached for the can and it moved six inches from 
me. The table and chairs were screwed fast to the 
floor, and I knew I could hold on to them if need be, 
and I soon found that in the sort of moving picture 
affair before me the thing to do when you wanted to 
secure an article was to stab a few inches ahead, in 
the path where it was sliding. I soon got used to 
the horrible motion of the ship, and enjoyed a good 
meal. 

When leaving my seat I took sight at the exit, 
and in three steps had my hand on the newell post 
at the foot of the stairs. On reaching the open air 
I shook hands with myself, for I felt all right. 



114 A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 

Large whales, numerous in these waters, were 
a common sight, but we failed to get a glimpse of the 
whale's great enemy and destroyer, the thrasher. 
The latter is a great shark, thirty feet long, whose 
chief weapon is a sharp sword-like appendage pro- 
jecting from his back. The two animals have ter- 
rific battles, but when the thrasher swims under the 
whale and rips him open with his terrible sword, it 
is all over so far as the whale is concerned. His 
blood colors the water for many feet around the 
scene of the struggle. 

On the evening of the seventh day we sighted 
land at a point on Vancouver Island, and several 
hours later the light on Cape Flattery came into 
view. Rockets were fired as a signal that our 
steamer was approaching, and the news was imme- 
diately telegraphed to Seattle. At the sight of land 
a spirit of gayety pervaded the entire ship, for our 
voyage had been a long one and not too comfortable. 
It was not till the next morning, however, that we 
reached Seattle, a voyage of just eight days to the 
hour. 

At noon I was speeding homeward as fast as the 
Canadian Pacific could carry me, through the won- 
derful scenery of the Canadian Rockies, with stu- 
pendous mountains towering far above the timber 
line; then through great fields of waving grain 
almost ready for the harvest. A feeling came over 



A Trip to Alaska and the Klondike. 115 

me that I had been out of the world, as it were, and 
was returning to civilization. 

Soon great cities were reached, and then my 
own, seeming all the more smoky, hot and dirty 
after the clear, pure air my lungs had been drinking 
in for so many days. 

One soon again gets into the clutches of civiliza- 
tion and settles down into the monotony of everyday 
life, as if he had never left it. My trip soon seemed 
like a wonderful journey to fairyland which one 
takes often in a dream and awakes with only a re- 
membrance of its marvels. 

But this remembrance is one of my most precious 
possessions, of which nothing can rob me as long as 
memory lasts. 

I have visited all the great sights of my native 
land, but without hesitation I must pronounce this 
the "greatest trip of my life.^ A popular saying is, 
"See Rome and die," but I say, "See Alaska and 
live." 



AUG 11 '906 






A TRIP TO ALASKA 
AND THE KLONDIKE 

IN THE SUMMER OF 1 9 5 
By N. E. K E E L E R 




'1 



